Jay Vine, Jhonatan Narvaez and their UAE Team Emirates colleagues are well on the way to the most emphatic title in Tour Down Under history.
Vine was a level above everyone else on Thursday, storming to his first stage win at the race.
Narvaez, the defending race champion, was the only rider who could go with the Australian when he attacked on the pivotal Corkscrew Rd climb inside the last 20km.
But even the Ecuador star was struggling to hold Vine's wheel as he then powered to the finish of the 148.1km stage from suburban Norwood to the Adelaide Hills town of Uraidla.
In a race that twice was decided on countback, their one-minute overall lead means barring disaster, only the lowest step of the podium is open to rivals.
Vine and Narvaez finished 58 seconds clear of the chase group. The Australian has a six-second lead over his teammate and a yawning one minute five second advantage over Swiss Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla).
It was a big day for the UAE team at the Tour as it emerged the manager of their four-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar will visit the race this week.
The Tour Down Under has been trying for two years to lure Pogacar.
The biggest overall win in Tour history was Australian Pat Jonker's 1:13 advantage in 2004, but that was an outlier and the quality of the field was nowhere near this WorldTour level.
Vine only beat Simon Yates by 11 seconds when he claimed the 2023 Tour Down Under.
"Anything can happen, but it's really good to have such a big lead, compared to my last Tour," Vine said.
"It's a lot more secure and we also have Jhonny in second now, so we're in a very strong position.
"It's always better to have two, just in case something goes wrong - I'm not going to drop my teammate for no reason.
"It's incredible to win the Corkscrew stage in my home tour. I'm disappointed that I didn't win in 2023 ... I didn't focus on the stage, I was just so sucked into GC (general classification).
"To be able to win my first Tour Down Under stage is really, really nice."
Vine said before this month that a year ago he was not quite ready for the Australian January racing.
This time, he prepared thoroughly in the Andorra winter, driving up and down the mountain near his home to avoid the snow.
He has already claimed the national time trial championship. His pregnant wife Bre and their toddler son Harrison celebrated with him at Thursday's finish.
"Preparing through the winter was a hard sacrifice. My wife can tell you, having to drive up and down the mountain and swap bikes and all this sort of stuff was incredibly demanding, also while she's pregnant," he said.
"It's definitely worth it and obviously if the course suits me Down Under, I have to take it with both hands."
Corkscrew was a key feature of this year's race route, with the men tackling it twice for the first time in Tour history - as the women did as well earlier this week.
Nothing significant happened on the first climb, but Vine's English teammate Adam Yates ratcheted up the pace on the second ascent and eventually the Australian launched.
With Vine and Narvaez off the front, Yates could sit back in the chase group of eight riders and negate any counter-attacks.
Luke Plapp's unhappy January continued when he had a mechanical issue and was out the back on the second Corkscrew climb. His Jayco AlUla teammate Ben O'Connor, one of the pre-race overall favourites, also could not respond when Vine attacked.
But fellow Australian rider Harry Sweeny produced an eye-catching ride.
Sweeny (EF Education Easypost) finished ninth on the stage and is fourth overall, at 1:12. Schmid is third at 1:05.
The Tour continues on Friday with a 140.8km stage from Henley Beach to the Hills town of Nairne that should be decided by the sprinters.
