Stephen Williams takes the lead Down Under

As perhaps the most famous climb in Australia, Willunga Hill always offers up some intense racing whenever the Santos Tour Down Under visits. And it was no different on Saturday when a small group of elite climbers fought it out for the stage win.

Israel – Premier Tech’s Stevie Williams surged late but was pipped at the line to take second place.

“It was a tough final, as expected. We knew it would just be whittled down until the line and I found myself with good legs with 500 meters to go, in a perfect position. I slightly underestimated how far the finish line was from the last corner. Ideally I would have gone into that last corner first and could have held on but credit to Oscar Onley.”

“I’m happy with my performance. I’m really proud of my teammates and how they backed me all day. It was such a great ride from everyone. Obviously, Corbin had a difficult day and had to withdraw which is a shame for us because he is another rider who could have done well on a finish like this.”

His efforts netted him the leader’s ochre colored jersey with a hair’s width between him and the rider in second place overall. With one more climber’s stage to go, there’s everything still to play for. Three category 1 climbs and another summit finish will give the tightly-packed top-10 a chance to hope for an overall victory.

Racing on their OSTRO VAMs, the riders from Israel – Premier Tech will certainly be motivated to help Stevie defend his lead to take a maiden win at the Santos Tour Down Under.

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Israel – Premier Tech Pro Cycling Team