Race Report: Hahn Men's Stage 4

EFEX STAGE 2 WINNER – BRYAN COQUARD (COFIDIS)

SANTOS OCHRE LEADER’S JERSEY – JAVIER ROMO OLIVER (MOVISTAR TEAM)

ZIPTRAK SPRINT JERSEY – SAM WELSFORD (RED BULL-BORA-HANSGROHE)

EFEX KING OF THE MOUNTAIN – FERGUS BROWNING (ARA AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TEAM)

ZWIFT YOUNG RIDER’S JERSEY – ALBERT WITHEN PHILIPSEN (LIDL-TREK)

YAMAHA MOST COMPETITIVE RIDER – MAURO SCHMID (TEAM JAYCO ALULA) 

RACE REPORT 

Hahn MEN’S STAGE 4 

GLENELG TO VICTOR HARBOR

157.2KM 

France’s Bryan Coquard claimed the Santos Tour Down Under Hahn Men’s stage 4 with a brilliant tactical last kilometre to beat Phil Bauhaus and Jhonatan Narvaez in a sprint finish at the Esplanade, Victor Harbor on Friday. 

Coquard’s victory saw Javier Romo Oliver hold onto the Santos ochre leader’s jersey as the Hahn stage 4 Glenelg to Victor Harbor belonged to the sprint kings. 

Romo Oliver is four seconds clear of his biggest GC threat Narvaez.    

“Very happy to win, it’s my best chance to win here and it’s a perfect day,” Coquard said. 

“I love this country and at the start of the season I started good.” 

“I used my (track) experience to do a good sprint from about 300m, it’s perfect.” 

With Coquard claiming his second Santos Tour Down Under stage after winning at Willunga in 2023, Javier Romo Oliver held onto the Santo’s ochre leader’s jersey. 

The Spaniard is 10 seconds clear of Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates -XRG) with the Think! Road Safety stage 5 McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill looming to be the most critical to General Classification contenders. 

The Hahn stage 4 Glenelg to Victor Harbor was expected to be calculated and tactical - and it was. 

An early breakaway led by Jayco AlUla’s Mauro Schmid powering over the Snapper Point, Aldinga finish line saw the Swiss rider dominate TV air time for at least two hours before the worked hard to bring back the breakaway as Victor Harbor approached. 

Schmid won the Ziptrak intermediate sprint #1 bonus ahead of Belgian Junior Lecerf (Soudal Quick-Step) and Italy’s Giosue Epis (Akrea – B&B Hotels) which at that point of the race didn’t bother the sprint kings nor the general classification contenders including Santos leader Romo Oliver. 

The race then settled into a predictable pattern. 

However, as the second efex King of the Mountain was approaching at Nettle Hill, 21.3 km before the Esplanade, the teams started making moves to position either their best sprinter and overall contender. 

The gap closed in the Inman Valley to less than a minute about 27.7km from Victor Harbor as Romo Oliver’s Movistar team were chasing down the breakaway.   

Romo Oliver at that stage of the race was 1 min 05 sec behind the breakaway with Movistar teammate, Eritrea’s Natnael Tesfazion chasing the then stage leaders. 

Tesfazion, who earned was second on the general classification at the 2024 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race put rivals on the peloton on notice.   

THE RACE 

Ziptrak® Sprint #1 — Esplanade at Snapper Point near Butterworth Road, Aldinga Beach 35.0km

The race went to script after the Glenelg start.

Jayco AlUla’s Swiss rider Mauro Schmid powered over the Snapper Point, Aldinga finish line ahead of Belgian Junior Lecerf (Soudal Quick-Step) and Italy’s Giosue Epis (Akrea – B&B Hotels).

The trio led the breakaway which didn’t disturb Friday’s Santos leader Javier Romo Oliver (Movistar) or other GC contenders.   

Ziptrak® Sprint #2 — Main South Road, Yankalilla at property #109 71.5km

The 2024 national Swiss road champion, Schmid earned maximum bonuses again, but Lecerf and Epis traded places for second and third place.

The main peloton kept a check on Romo Oliver and Movistar as the breakaway led by 1 min 16 sec before the first efex King of the Mountain Parawa Hill was the next challenge.       

efex King of the Mountain #1 — Parawa Hill 2 7.0% 13.4% 2.90km 87.0km

XDS Astana’s Dutch rider Ide Schelling joined the breakaway as Red Bull – BORA – Hansgrohe protected its Australian gun Sam Welsford for a potential sixth stage win after already claiming two stage wins during the 2025 edition.

However, Schmid claimed the maximum KOM seven points for the first time during the race.     

Epis earned five points; Schelling came in third while Taco Van Der Hoorn (Intermarche – Wanty) was fourth.

The quartet then opened a 2min 12sec gap from the main peloton. 

efex King of the Mountain #2 — Nettle Hill 1 8.1% 17.7% 1.90km 136.4km

Schmid was first up the climb and at that point was the favourite to claim the Yamaha most competitive jersey.

Schelling was second, Van Der Hoorn was third and joined by Schmid’s Australian teammate Luke Plapp.

Canada’s Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech picked up the final KOM point.

The peloton split in the lead up to the KOM with Welford and his team dropped to the back of the race. 

Ziptrak® Sprint #1

34.4km, Esplanade (Snapper Point), Aldinga
Approx. 12:14pm 

Ziptrak® Sprint #2

70.9km, Main South Road, Yankalilla at property #109
Approx. 1:07pm 

efex King of the Mountain #1

86.4km, efex King of the Mountain #1 - Parawa Hill (category 2)
Distance: 2.9km, Total Ascent 204m, Maximum Gradient: 16.7%, Average Gradient: 7.0%
Parawa Road, Parawa                       
Approx. 1:29pm 

Efex King of the Mountain #2

135.9km, efex King of the Mountain #2 - Nettle Hill (category 1)
Distance: 1.9km, Total Ascent 157m, Maximum Gradient: 15.6%, Average Gradient: 8.1%
Nettle Hill Road, Hindmarsh Valley             
Approx. 2:39pm 

SANTOS OCHRE LEADER’S JERSEY – JAVIER ROMO OLIVER (MOVISTAR TEAM)      

ZIPTRAK SPRINT JERSEY LEADER – SAM WELSFORD (RED BULL-BORA-HANSGROHE)

EFEX KING OF THE MOUNTAIN LEADER – FERGUS BROWNING (ARA AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TEAM)

ZWIFT YOUNG RIDER’S JERSEY LEADER – ALBERT WITHEN PHILIPSEN (LIDL-TREK)

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