Only one rider wore the King of the Mountain jersey at the 2025 Santos Tour Down Under and Fergus Browning (ARA Australia) is hoping it can change his career.
The success and the spotlight the classification delivered was vital for the rider from Melbourne. In 2024 he swept up an Australian road title and a stage win at the Tour de l’Ain, yet was still heading into 2025 with out a European team.
Could his time in South Australia at the Tour Down Under be the tipping point? While that is yet to be determined, the 21-year-old won’t have any regrets.
On day one, a long break with national squad teammate Zac Marriage saw Browning net top points across all the three KOM’s. On day two it was two out of three and then he was at it again on day three.
The first Ashton KOM on the pivotal GC stage was a bit of no brainer, the second at 106.7km was another matter.
Browning had been out the front with Connor Swift (Ineos Grenadiers) initially, but when Swift sat up and decided to return to the peloton Browning had a hold or fold decision to make. Not only was the next KOM a distant target, but this was also a tough and charged stage where the GC was set for its first showdown on the climbs of the newly introduced Knotts Hill.
“We had discussed him coming back,” ARA Australia sports director Martin Barras told Cyclingnews at the end of the race.
“I asked him to wait out there for another five minutes to see how the situation was going to shape up and eventually he just decided, ‘Well, screw it. I'm gonna go’.
No small decision with a WorldTour peloton behind him and his target about 90km down the road.
Fortunately, that decision to stay out there and ease off a little to allow an easier cross over for company, meant that Geoffrey Bouchard (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) joined hi and helped him reach the climb.
“How he resisted to be able to win the second King of the Mountain showed how much progress he had made with his understanding of racing," Barras explained.
"From day one where he went too hard, too early and triggered a bigger reaction – making their job of staying out there that much harder – to the third day where he had learned how to control himself, keep something in reserve and anticipate the rush as well.”
The peloton may have been charging as they hit that crucial climb but Browning, one of the young talents being mentored by Damian Howson in the national squad, once again secured his mark.
“That for me, probably was the moment of the tour for the team, because it we knew after that, although mathematically, it was still possible not to win it, we knew we had notched up a jersey and it was done with a spectacular effort.”
Browning has not given up the dream of racing in Europe after the closure of Trinity Racing’s road cycling team in 2024. He did not give up on the points chase in that third stage but there was more than just determination at play.
Browning had targeted the national championships in 2024 and walked away with the U23 road race win despite being hit by a car the day before. For 2025 he was targeting the Tour Down Under.
“I definitely put in a huge block in the heat, in Bright and also just training to these type of efforts with my coach specifically. And I think it's really, really played off,” said Browning, who finished the Tour Down Under on Sunday with more than twice the points of his nearest rival in the KOM.
It was a performance that made potential teams stand up and take notice.
“Yeah, for sure, I've had some interest, and I think it's been an amazing week,” said Browning.
“The exposure I've had has just been exactly what I needed … I'm really looking forward to what's to come.”
