Cycling classic winner Welsford keeps clear of crash
Sam Welsford again looks the top sprinter at the Tour Down Under, staying out of late crash trouble to win the event’s street classic race.
The Australian Olympic cycling gold medallist was too good for his rivals on Saturday night in Adelaide’s East End.
It is understood a spectator was taken away in an ambulance after a crash on the last corner of the parklands circuit.
There was no immediate word on how many riders overshot the corner and hit the barricades.
Italian Manilo Moro was the only cyclist not to finish the one-hour race because of the crash.
He looked the worse for wear as Movistar team staff helped him back to the team pits, several minutes after the race had ended.
Welsford and his sprint rivals were through the corner and lining up for the finish when the crash happened behind them.
Last week, the Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe rider won the Australian criterium championship in his home city of Perth.
Welsford wore the green-and-gold national champion stripes in Saturday night’s race.
He abandoned last Sunday’s road race at the Australian championships because of a crash, but clearly is ready for the six-day Santos Tour from next Tuesday.
A year ago, Welsford was the Tour’s top sprinter with three stage wins.
The 28-year-old was a member of the team pursuit squad that broke the world record on the way to winning the gold medal on the track at the Paris Games.
Compatriot Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), who won the Tour Down Under two years ago, combined with British rider Oscar Olney (Picnic PostNL) and Frenchman Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon AG2R) in an attack that survived until the last lap of the 1.8km circuit.
Olney won the Tour’s Queen stage on the iconic Willunga climb a year ago and he was another rider to showcase his form during the Saturday twilight hitout.
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