First official race day in 2023, and first podium for Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, which by the same occasion made its debut on the Tour Down Under. The Australian event opened this Tuesday with a fully flat 5.5 kilometer prologue in in the streets of Adelaide, southwest of the country.
The Dane Julius Johansen covered the urban track with the third best time, ten seconds from winner Alberto Bettiol. It is the first World Tour podium for the 23-year-old, and also the first time the Walloon World Team has landed a podium on a World Tour time trial.
His teammate Hugo Page was one of the first riders to start around 8:30 a.m. (6:05 p.m. local time). He also managed to finish into the top 10, recording the sixth fastest time. The solid collective performance of the selection led by Steven De Neef allows Intermarché-Circus-Wanty to occupy second place in the team classification after this prologue.
“This course of less than 6 kilometers was ideal for me. I was perfectly equipped for this type of effort with my Cube Litening Aero. To prepare, I had studied my position on the bike and trained to maintain the most aerodynamic stature possible. This is something that will also be useful for my role in Gerben Thijssen's sprint train. » "Hugo and I were spared by the rain today. Our leader for the GC Sven Erik Bystrøm was not so lucky, and yet he delivered a magnificent TT considering the circumstances. This prologue was an opportunity for me to show what I was capable of, and I expect the rest of the team to do the same in the coming days as we have a strong squad here." “This good start bodes well for the future. Our intention is to start the season well and we will do everything to propel Gerben on the way to victory, why not repeat our achievement of 2022 with success from our first days of racing! »
