Phil Bauhaus Takes Second Place at Santos Tour Down Under Opener
Phil Bauhaus demonstrated an impressive sprint on the opening stage of the WorldTour 2024 season at the Santos Tour Down Under, finishing second. Bauhaus positioned himself well and capitalized on the Bora-Hansgrohe lead-out train, ultimately finishing second to Sam Welsford. In his own words, “It is the best result I can do. I feel I am the strongest to be honest… I definitely have the legs to win, but it’s professional sport, you can’t always win so it’s good to be second.”
Bauhaus highlighted the support from his teammates, stating, “Jack is our GC guy, I really appreciate that someone like him was doing the lead-out for me… I want to pay my teammates back with hopefully one win this week.”
Despite facing challenges, Team Bahrain Victorious successfully navigated Mengler’s Hill, with Sports Director Neil Stephens acknowledging the efforts of the team amid adversity. Stephens remarked, “It was a really tricky day… Another crash happened on the descent with Buratti, who is one of our key riders in the lead-out train. But the other guys did really well, especially Jack Haig.”
Looking ahead to Stage 2, riders will face the challenging Fox Creek Climb, promising an unpredictable and intense finale with obstacles within 5km of the finish.
