On the first day of the Santos Tour Down Under, Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) did not have an easy race. After being involved in a crash before the finish to Tanunda on stage 1, it was questionable whether he would even start stage 2.

But at the end of an explosive day that included contact with Michael Matthews and a tense finish line debate in a race that left a huge scar on GC, Sheffield was still there, holding firm in third place overall.

"I wasn't sure how I felt this morning, but I slept well," Sheffield said after the stage. 'I saw the doctor. But when I got on the turbo this morning, I felt pretty good.

The 20-year-old was on the start line in Victor Harbor, but the day is likely to be a selective sprint affair, perhaps hinting at a GC shaping up rather than a major change. 'I got better and better throughout the stage,' he said. [But it was not a day of smooth sailing, as he hit a crosswind, bumped into another rider on the climb up to Nettle Hill, and made contact with Matthews. After the finish, a tense conversation ensued between an obviously irritated Matthews and Sheffield.

"There was a rider who hit me and he [Matthews] happened to be next to me. And I think there was a little wheel-to-wheel contact."

"I apologized right after the finish. It's part of cycling and part of racing. It wasn't my intention and I just really apologized and tried to be upfront with him."

It was after this wheel contact that the race heated up. Jay Wein (UAE Team Emirates), Mauro Schmidt (Sourdal-Quick Step), Simon Yates (Jayco Alura), Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), and Rohan Dennis (Jumbo Visma) jumped out at the front, They held off the chasing pack until the finish line in Victor Harbour.

"I couldn't catch everyone on the last few kilometers of the climb," Sheffield said. I was just too far back," Sheffield said.

Dennis won the stage and changed into the race leader's ochre jersey. Alberto Betiol (EF Education-Easy Post), who had previously worn this jersey, suffered from cramps and dropped down the order. Meanwhile, Sheffield finished 17th from the chase group, maintaining his third place overall, 12 seconds behind Dennis.