Stephen Williams: I want to go to the biggest races in the world and do this

For a rider who “doesn’t always back himself”, according to his sports director, Stephen Williams produced an assured, commanding ride to win the Tour Down Under and secure a victory that will only boost the unassuming Welshman’s confidence.

Williams has enjoyed a long but up-and-down career in the professional peloton, and it was clear that his stage win and overall title atop Mount Lofty meant a lot more to him than just winning a race.

“It's not so much a relief but... Cycling is funny, [wins] don't come round so often. Once you get a victory like this, you have to make sure you enjoy it and take it in,” he said. “For me to win a WorldTour GC, at this point in the season, is really important for my development.”

Though Williams was keen to let his win sink in, it’s hard not to start looking ahead to the year when you win in January, and utilising that momentum will be key for the 27-year-old.

“It's nice to start a season well for once,” he said. “If you look at my career over the last five or six years, it has been pretty up and down. I think from here, it's definitely something I want to kick on with, and make sure the season is consistent.”

What exactly that consistency means, and where Williams wants to find it, is somewhat open. He may be in his sixth year as a pro, but he’s only just found his winning form in the last few years, and his upwards trajectory doesn’t yet have an end goal.

“It's a question I get asked a lot, whether GC is an option in the future. At the moment, I'm definitely a puncheur with a fast finish. Short, sharp climbs. Being able to go into the red, recover, red, recover. That's where I am at the moment, but the longer climbs are something I want to try and improve on. But if this is right for me at the minute, and I'm winning, then why change something?”

Next up for Williams will be the Ardennes, and then a start at an as-yet-undecided Grand Tour. Prior to Sunday, the Welshman’s biggest results were a stage win at the Tour de Suisse and the overalls at the CRO Tour and Arctic Race of Norway, but a WorldTour title is a step towards even bigger things.

“I want to go to the biggest races in the world and do this,” he said. “I think this is a stepping stone in the right direction, considering it's a week-long stage race. I'd like to head back now and kick on from here, and make the most of it, to try my best to get some good results.”

No more underestimating Williams - by others or himself

“Sometimes he doesn't back himself, and we've been trying to instil it in him that he should,” is what Israel-Premier Tech sports director Sam Bewley had to say about Williams after stage 6.

The team came to this race with a stacked squad, fielding George Bennett, Derek Gee and Corbin Strong in their number, and Williams was perhaps one of the smaller names on the team, but Israel-Premier Tech didn’t keep their secret weapon secret for long.

“He's really quick, people underestimate him, I think. We knew he was a good chance for us this week, we kept it under wraps pretty well I think,” Bewley said. “I hazard to guess that no one would have said Stevie Williams would have won the Tour Down Under, but we delivered it.”

As well as proving himself to the world, this win was an exercise in proving himself to himself for Williams.

“Stevie hasn't had that big win yet,” said sports director Daryl Impey. “He had a nice win in the Tour of Switzerland and he was in the leader’s jersey there for two stages, he's no stranger to the podium or anything. But I think he needed this, because we believe in him and it's just about him now believing in himself.”

“I think there's going to be a big shift in his confidence, and that's going to take him a long way for the rest of his career,” Bewley concluded.

A winning culture at Israel-Premier Tech

At times, Israel-Premier Tech has been viewed as a place where riders go to wind down their careers, and where wins are perhaps not as regular as they should be, but the team couldn’t have kicked off their 2024 in a more successful way.

Williams may not be a new addition, but several of the team are - George Bennett, sports director Daryl Impey - and it seems a new culture is building is Israel-Premier Tech, and to positive results.

“It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation. If you win, does the culture become good, or if you have a good culture, do you start to win,” Sam Bewley explained.

“I've always believed that you build the culture first, then everyone is happy to work for each other, be around each other. Through good times and bad times, the spirits are still high. They're all good mates.

“Especially for Stevie, he needs guys around him, he needs his friends around him, he needs people to keep him calm, relaxed, and to get that belief. The way this group has been off the bike has been a huge factor in their success, but the way they rode on the stages as well is a big reason why it happened.”

Much has been made of Israel-Premier Tech’s demotion from the WorldTour and their upcoming campaign to be promoted once again for 2026, but it seems the fresh sports directors in Impey and Bewley are trying to do something else at the team: build a winning foundation, and something deeper than just winning points.

Securing a haul of points in January is an undeniable success, but Williams’ win also speaks to a wider positive trajectory at Israel-Premier Tech, and something whose results will only continue to show in 2024.

“It's a good start, it's always good to start with a WorldTour stage race victory in January,” Bewley said. “We're on the other side of the world, but these guys will get back on the plane and take some good momentum back to the rest of the team.”