There was no doubt that Oscar Only had his sights set on the Willunga Hill stage of the Tour Down Under.

On race day, he of course upped his time several notches and now holds the second fastest hill climb time behind Richie Porto. But on Saturday, of course, a much bigger prize awaited him: his first professional win, and a World Tour-level win, on this iconic South Australian stage. [To be honest, I came here with pretty high expectations, and you want to win every race, but I felt like if I did well, I could win," Onley told reporters after the stage.

The 21-year-old was up against riders like Julien Alaphilippe (Sourdal-Quickstep) and Simon Yates (Jayco Alura), who were clearly in the hunt for the win, on the stage. Alaphilippe set up the final sprint, but it was Only who finished.

He finished ahead of Steven Williams (Israel Premier Tech) and Honatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers), while Alaphilippe finished ahead of the rest of the field, including two 3km climbs with an average gradient of 7.4% and a maximum gradient of 15.6%, Christie's Beach to Willunga Hill He finished fourth over the 129.3km from Christie's Beach to Willunga Hill, including two 3km climbs with an average gradient of 7.4% and a maximum gradient of 15.6%. The race consisted of two 3km climbs with an average gradient of 7.4% and a maximum gradient of 15.6%.

This may have been Only's first win of the day, but it was no surprise to his team. This victory was another ideal opportunity for him, as he had finished his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, on the second day after a wheel slipped on a corner at the end of last season.

"We had some struggles last year and were really unlucky," said team sport director Luke Roberts, an Adelaide native who knows the race inside out. He had a good preparation for the Vuelta, but that crash was just bad luck. So we were able to take advantage of that opportunity and send him out here in tip-top shape."

Onley returned to racing in late September after his Grand Tour crash and finished the 2023 season at the Tour of Guangxi in October, but he said his victory at Willunga not only helped him get in better shape, but also revitalized his neurons.

"You really have to credit the team. They have helped me with such tactical play throughout the winter. In the past, I may have had the legs to do better, but I don't think I was that tactically smart. I've really focused the last few weeks."

That's probably a good thing, because while one stage win is secured, another important tactical game awaits. Only won Willunga, but it was Williams in second place who took the leader's jersey; the two had exactly the same time, but in the standings, Williams, third on stage 2, walked away from the ochre-colored podium.

"It's going to be a pretty tough race," said Williams. 'I think it's going to be really tight tomorrow because Stevie was on my wheel in the sprint today. I think it's going to be a really tough race tomorrow.

The good news for the Only is that Sunday's final stage offers another summit finish. This time it's the summit of Mount Lofty, a 1.3km climb with an average gradient of 7.3% and a maximum of 13.3%.

"Tomorrow's finish suits him better than Willunga. [23] "Tomorrow's finish suits him better than Willunga's. " Unlimited access to all Tour Down Under and Women's Tour Down Under coverage from Australia, including reports, breaking news and analysis. More info.