Sam Watson enjoys perfect start to year for Ineos Grenadiers in Tour Down under

As part of the Ineos Grenadiers team, the Leeds cyclist was one of the first riders off the starting ramp at Victoria Park in Adelaide, and clocked an impressive time of 4:16.90 to take the hot seat and the Ochre jersey.

Wednesday will see the riders look to overhaul the Yorkshireman – who last year won the British Road Race Championship – when they tackle a tough 120km loop which starts and finishes in Tanunda.

Watson said he was hopeful of further success in stages three and five – which favour the sprinters more – but today will see him take on the role of leading out for Ineos team-mate Sam Welsford.

But after his performance in the opening race of the year, the 24-year-old was simply happy the team’s pre-race preparations had paid off.

"We obviously saw the course quite in advance of this year, and then we kind of went full for it with the team,” said Watson afterwards. “I'm really lucky that they give me a lot of support.

"I've got a whole different setup, and did aero testing on a different bike, with a prologue position.

"That was great, but it also creates a lot of time to think about it, so it's a bit of a stressful way to start the year, but I'm so happy I've pulled it off.

"I was going for the win, to be honest, and I'd be disappointed if I didn't win, especially with how much work we put into this.”

British compatriot Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling) was just 0.01 seconds back in second, while Watson also beat the likes of Australian time trial champion Jay Vine (UAE Emirates - XRG), much to his relief.

“I’m so happy to start the season with a win,” he added. “Of course, I’m leading the race now and it’s amazing for myself and the team to be able to start the season like this.

“There were quite a lot of guys (who made me nervous). Just as I climbed off the bike Ethan (Vernon) crossed the line and he was about 0.5 seconds behind me.

“I knew he’d be a contender and I maybe didn’t even make it to the hot seat - but obviously then it was a big sigh of relief for me to hold on.”