The Scheldeprijs was an important step in Sam Welsford's career. The Team DSM rider finished second in the prestigious high-speed sprint and is already among the fastest finishers in his second year on the road.

The 27-year-old Australian rider, who has had no shortage of success on the track, made the podium for the first time at the 2022 Scheldepri. The competition was hit by crosswinds, so the usual sprint competitions did not take place. Alexander Kristoff was the lone winner, with Welsford in third.

This year's Scheldeprijs lived up to its reputation as an unofficial world championship for sprinters, with Welsford finishing behind Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin Deceuninck) and in front of Mark Cavendish (Astana Kazakstan).

"It was a pretty hectic final," Welsford told Wielerflits (opens in new tab) in a post-race interview.

"The pack was moving around a lot and I was lucky to find Jasper's wheel on the left, but the barriers were tough too. [I'm happy with second place, but you always want to be at the front.

In 2022, Welsford won the fifth stage of the Tour of Turkey after Scheldeprijs and finished third in the fifth stage of the ZLM Tour, finishing on the podium two more times.

He has already been on the podium six times since the start of the 2023 Tour. These include his first WorldTour podium on stage 4 of the UAE Tour, victories on stages 6 and 7 of the Vuelta a San Juan, and victory at the Grand Prix Cliquierion.

The rider, who has won the rainbow jersey several times on the track, has shown his ability not only in sprints but also on the podium in two very different Scheldeprijs.

"I think sprinting is my big strength, but I think I can also do harder races," Welsford told the Dutch website.

"As my career progresses, I hope to be able to do harder races.

As for his plans for the rest of the season, a podium finish in Scheldeprij alongside Tour de France hopefuls Jasper Philipsen and Mark Cavendish is perhaps the next leg of the Australian's development, as his Grand Tour debut

"This year, I've been in the top five for the first time in my career.

"I'm taking it step by step this year, but I'd love to be in a Grand Tour this year," Welsford told Wielerfritz.

"I think that would be really good for my development and probably prove that I'm one of the best sprinters on the team.

"Being on the podium all the time in these races has been good for my development and good for the team.

Will that Grand Tour be as early as July?

"It's my dream to compete in the Tour, but I think it has to be in line with everything I consider important for my development," said Welsford.