Australian Cycling Prodigy Cameron Rogers Falls Short in Tour of Holland Prologue After Heart Surgery Setback
Read Time:1 Minute, 57 Second
Heartbreak in The Hague: Cameron Rogers Misses Tour of Holland Prologue Victory by Mere Seconds
The Hague, Netherlands – In a dramatic opener to the revived Tour of Holland, 20-year-old Australian sensation Cameron Rogers came agonizingly close to securing his first win of the season, only to be pipped at the post by British powerhouse Ethan Hayter.
Rogers, riding for Lidl-Trek Future Racing, dominated the 4-kilometer prologue time trial through the rain-slicked streets of Zuiderpark on Tuesday evening. Clocking an impressive 4:26.93, he held the hot seat for over an hour, fending off challenges from top contenders including Filippo Ganna of Ineos Grenadiers.
But in a nail-biting finish, Hayter of Soudal-QuickStep shattered Rogers’ dreams with a blistering time of 4:26.65 – just 0.28 seconds quicker. Teammate Jakob Søderqvist rounded out the podium in third, 0.44 seconds back, giving Lidl-Trek a strong showing despite the heartbreak.
For Rogers, the near-miss caps a rollercoaster 2025 season marred by health challenges. The Canberra native underwent heart surgery in February, sidelining him until April’s Circuit des Ardennes. Despite the disruption, he showed flashes of brilliance, including a seventh-place finish at the GP Rik Van Looy last month.
“It’s a bit disappointing to sit in the hot seat so long and get beaten by one of the last riders, even if it’s a big name like Hayter,” Rogers admitted post-race. “But I beat some big names still, so I’m pretty happy, and I get to wear a jersey into tomorrow.”
The nephew of three-time time trial world champion Michael Rogers, the young gun drew inspiration from family during the tense wait. Reports suggest he exchanged texts with his famous uncle, who won the Tour of Austria prologue last summer – a race where Cameron himself triumphed in 2024, edging out Ganna by a single second.
This Tour of Holland marks the 21-year-old’s potential final outing of the year, blending grit with promise in a race featuring gravel stages, another time trial, and hilly terrain in southern Netherlands.
As the peloton eyes stage 1’s flat sprinter showdown, Rogers’ resilience stands out. In a sport demanding precision to the millisecond, his story of bouncing back from surgery to podium contention signals a bright future for Australian cycling’s rising star.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Average Rating