Switzerland's Noemi Ruegg (EF Education-Oatly) claimed victory in Australia’s Tour Down Under on Sunday, securing the ochre leader's jersey after a strong performance across the three-stage event. Ruegg protected her overall lead in the decisive final stage, finishing third behind stage winner Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM) in the hot and challenging Adelaide Hills.

Noemi Ruegg Clinches Overall Victory

Ruegg, 23, became only the second non-Australian to win the women’s Tour Down Under in its eight editions. She built her success on Saturday’s dominant Stage 2 win atop Willunga Hill, which gave her a 15-second lead over Dutch rival Silke Smulders (Liv Jayco AlUla). Ruegg finished the race with a 13-second buffer over Smulders and a total time of 8 hours, 49 minutes. Norway’s Mie Bjorndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility) rounded out the podium, 37 seconds behind Ruegg.

"It was quite a challenge today, they didn’t make it easy for us," Ruegg said. "They tried a lot of moves, especially in the last two laps. I was super nervous the whole day, but my team was amazing, allowing me to focus on finishing strong."

Chloe Dygert Shines In Final Stage

American Olympic champion Chloe Dygert surged to victory in the final 105.9km stage. She broke away late in the race and held off Smulders and Ruegg by one second to secure the stage win. "We came here trying to get the GC and a stage win," Dygert said. "We worked really hard today to get that win."

Alyssa Polites (ARA Australian Cycling Team) captured the Queen of the Mountain title, overtaking Poland's Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) in the standings.

Men’s Event Kicks Off Next

The six-stage men’s Tour Down Under, celebrating its 25th anniversary, begins in Adelaide on Tuesday, marking the start of the UCI World Tour men's calendar.