New Zealand neo-pro takes 'unbelievable' first WorldTour podium in intense Tour Down Under finale – and he wasn't even meant to be their sprinter

Regardless of being solely a matter of weeks into his first full 12 months within the WorldTour, 21-year-old Lewis Bower (Groupama-FDJ United) took his first WorldTour podium on Friday as he sprinted to 3rd on stage 3 of the Tour Down Beneath.

Bower, who has risen by means of the ranks with the Groupama improvement squad, was promoted to the WorldTour workforce final June, driving his first WorldTour occasion on the Tour of Guangxi, and on the Tour Down Beneath was not set to be the French workforce’s designated sprinter.

Nevertheless, the New Zealand rider was thrust into sprinting on the final second on Friday after Tom Donnenwirth suffered a mechanical within the finale, and could not have requested for a a lot better end in a chaotic dash. He was crushed solely by winner Sam Welsford (Ineos Grenadiers) and stage 1 victor Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM).

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“It’s simply unbelievable,” Bower stated. “After placing in a lot laborious work and sacrificing a lot time away from my household and pals, it’s very nice to see that every one the efforts I’ve made to achieve the WorldTour are paying off. So to get a podium is tremendous particular and an emotional consequence for me.”

Bower has been racing in Europe since he was a youngster, and although it is New Zealand he calls residence reasonably than Australia, there was a slice of residence in Nairne on Friday as his household had been there to witness his high consequence.

“We’re actually glad for him,” Groupama DS Jussi Veikkanen stated. “Lewis is younger, virtually racing at residence, and his household was right here in the present day. These are uncommon alternatives for a New Zealand rider to have the ability to carry out in entrance of family members. This nice consequence may also give him a variety of confidence in his type, as a result of it wasn’t a simple stage.”

For a lot of the day, it was a unique Groupama rider who was within the highlight, with Enzo Paleni spending virtually your complete 140km stage out entrance, solely caught within the ultimate 600 metres, however the French workforce had been capable of rapidly refocus their consideration within the hectic dash.

For Bower, it was a 180-degree flip from how he’d began the day.

“He wasn’t feeling nice yesterday and wasn’t very assured for in the present day,” Veikkanen stated. “We’d deliberate to go together with Tom, however he had a mechanical difficulty on the worst doable second, so we informed Lewis he may dash.”

Regardless of the dearth of forewarning, Bower discovered virtually the right line within the dash, following the eventual winner Welsford in what was fairly a messy battle for the road.

“As soon as I bought the inexperienced gentle, I attempted to remain close to Ineos and Sam Welsford,” he stated. “I got here previous him on the climb with three kilometres to go as a result of we had been going actually quick, then I attempted to maintain a superb place the entire time, browsing across the lead-out trains. With about 500 metres to go, Welsford got here again up along with his workforce and I managed to get onto his wheel. I launched at 200 meters to attempt to come round, however I didn’t fairly have the pace, so I got here again into the slipstream and held on for third place!”

With stage 4 considerably altered on account of hearth and warmth risks and due to this fact more likely to be a extra sprint-friendly stage than the unique Willunga Hill route, Groupama could have one other likelihood to go for a consequence on Saturday. After his spectacular exhibiting on stage 3, Bower can actually hope for one more shot at management quickly.

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