“It was perfect”: Gilmore and Kretschy go one-three on Tour de Taiwan stage 2

“It was ideal! It was perfect!” Israel – Premier Tech put on a flawless display today at the Tour de Taiwan: Australian Brady Gilmore claimed victory on Stage 2, while his German teammate Moritz Kretschy finished third and took the yellow jersey as the new race leader.

The team executed a perfect strategy over the 123-kilometer stage in northern Taiwan, which was widely considered the most decisive of the five-day race. With three climbs, including a summit finish, this stage was the key opportunity to take control of the race — and IPT made sure to seize the moment.

After Israeli sprinter Itamar Einhorn finished third in Stage 1, the team was determined to capitalize on this crucial stage. Taking advantage of strong crosswinds early on, IPT’s Israeli riders set a relentless pace to thin out the peloton.

On the final climb to Jiaobanshan Park, IPT’s two strongest climbers, Gilmore and Kretschy, made their decisive move.

“I was first into the last corner, and then Jordi López [Euskaltel – Euskadi] passed me,” Kretschy recalled. “I was like ‘oh no,’ but then Brady came right behind him. He passed him, and I could also finish third, so it was a perfect day.”

When the Spanish rival countered and overtook his teammate, Gilmore powered past to take the stage win. This is the 23-year-old’s third victory of 2025, after he won consecutive stages in last month’s Tour du Rwanda.

“When me and Moritz get together, there’s not much anyone else can do to overtake us,” said Gilmore. “We lined it up perfectly, and I just nailed the sprint. It couldn’t have gone any better to get the stage win. It was ideal! It was perfect! Now Moritz is in yellow, so let’s try and do this thing.

“We knew that this finish was perfect for me – I just had to get over the climbs well and nail my positioning. The boys committed amazingly for me – they all did their roles perfectly. We got over the climbs OK, the legs were awesome, and then Moritz just ripped that last KM for me. He led me out perfectly, and we’re really proud of our efforts. The hard work is paying off.”

Kretschy now leads the general classification by three seconds over Gilmore and is seven seconds ahead of his nearest non-IPT rider, López.

“Now I’m in yellow and he’s second on GC, so it could be worse!” Kretschy joked.

Sports Director Lahav Davidzon said: “We couldn’t have asked for more from the guys. It was a masterclass performance, but the real challenge is ahead: defending our narrow lead.”

With three stages remaining, all expected to end in bunch sprints, Einhorn will have his chance to chase his first victory of the season.

“Nothing is decided yet,” Einhorn warned. “Of course, I’ll go for the win, but our top priority is to defend the yellow jersey until the end. And it won’t be easy — that’s for sure.”

Click here to read our exclusive interview with Brady Gilmore in the latest issue of Yalla, IPT’s free eMagazine.