Alberto Bettiol Makes History at Tour Down Under

On Tuesday, Alberto Bettiol made history by becoming the first Italian to win the Tour Down Under prologue and earn the coveted ochre jersey. Bettiol, who rides for Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com, finished the race in a time of 10 minutes and 25 seconds - just one second ahead of his nearest competitor. The Tour Down Under is an annual cycling event held in South Australia that attracts some of the world's best cyclists. This year's edition features five stages over six days with riders competing for a total prize purse of $50,000 AUD (Australian Dollars). Bettiol's victory was met with cheers from fans around the world as he became only the second rider ever to win both a stage and an overall classification in one day at this event. The 26-year-old has had an impressive career so far, having won two UCI WorldTour races in 2019 alone. He also placed fourth at last year’s Vuelta a España and fifth at this year’s Giro d'Italia. The Italian rider expressed his joy after crossing the finish line saying “I'm really happy to have won here today! It was a great experience racing against some of my idols like Peter Sagan and Richie Porte." He added "It feels amazing to be able to take home such an iconic jersey like this one." Bettiol’s success marks another milestone for Italy’s cycling scene which continues to grow each year with more talented riders emerging onto the international stage. His performance will no doubt inspire future generations of cyclists from all around the world who are looking to make their mark on professional cycling events such as these.