Phil Bauhaus stepped onto the stage podium to help Team Bahrain Victorious sign off from the 25th Tour Down Under on a positive note.
The German rider took third place in the event’s sixth and final leg, which delivered high-speed action on a 90-kilometre circuit through the heart of Adelaide.
Bauhaus worked tirelessly to improve on his second-place finish from the fourth stage, and the team controlled the breakaways to set the stage for a sprinters’ finale.
In the closing moments, Bauhaus positioned himself brilliantly with the help of his teammates. Riding in the slipstream of Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates), Bauhaus moved ahead of the Portuguese rider in the sprint finish. However, it was Sam Welsford (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) who narrowly edged ahead to claim the top two spots, leaving Bauhaus with a hard-fought third-place podium finish.
“It was a fast and nervous day,” said Bauhaus. “I think it was all under control the whole day. The speed went up lap by lap, we had the last five laps super fast. The team, especially Mathijs (Paasschens), Robert (Stannard), and Nikias (Arndt) worked really well, so we were always around the top 20 positions in the last five laps.”
“It went faster and faster, and also in the last laps there were a few crashes. Luckily, we could avoid them.
“In the last kilometre, I was on my own. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe again did a super strong lead-out. For me, everything was about trying to get on the wheels.
“I was in the last fifth position around the last two corners with 300m to go, and then I could still gain two places to finish third. I think this was also the maximum possible today, so I am quite happy with third place.”
Of the six-stage race, which was Bahrain Victorious’ first event on the 2025 UCI WorldTour, Bauhaus added: “I think we did really well day by day. We found each other better.
“We had a really great time in Australia. The younger guys did really well; they have learned a lot in this race. They really gave us good support, which was really nice to see.
“I think they all have a good future ahead if they keep going like this over the next few years.
“In the next months, they will also get their chances to make results.”
Bahrain Victorious sports director Neil Stephens commented: “The Tour Down Under has been about much more than just the race itself.
“From a results perspective and what we’ve achieved in Adelaide, it’s been a great showing. With four new riders joining the team and one more just six months ago, our goal was to create a cohesive team, build strong bonds, and aim for the best results possible.”
Meanwhile, Bahrain national team rider Ahmed Madan finished 37th yesterday in stage three of the ninth Tour of Sharjah in the UAE.
Madan completed the 11.16km individual time trial leg nearly a minute behind the winner.
He was the best finisher of the kingdom’s participants. Ahmed Naser followed in 90th, Sayed Ahmed Alawi was 109th, Mahdi Kadhem came 129th, Husain Mohamed was 151st, and Jasim Husain was 161st.
The Tour of Sharjah continues today with a 132.32km fourth and penultimate stage.
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