Young Australian cyclist Caleb Ewan has won stage one of the Tour Down Under in South Australia, crossing the finish line first after the 131-kilometre stage from Prospect to Lyndoch.

TDU leader board: 1. Caleb Ewan Orica GreenEdge (3:24:13)

1. Caleb Ewan Orica GreenEdge (3:24:13) 2. Mark Renshaw Team Dimension Data

2. Mark Renshaw Team Dimension Data 3. Wouter Wippet Cannondale

3. Wouter Wippet Cannondale 4. Marko Kump Lampre-Merida

4. Marko Kump Lampre-Merida 5. Adam Blythe Tinkoff

5. Adam Blythe Tinkoff Ochre jersey: Caleb Ewan

Caleb Ewan Sprint jersey: Caleb Ewan

Caleb Ewan King Of The Mountain: Sean Lake

Temperatures nudged 40 degrees Celsius during the stage from northern Adelaide to the Barossa Valley, and the 21-year-old rider survived a tight sprint to the line for his victory.

The peloton managed to catch the breakaway pack about six kilometres from the finish.

Ewan will receive a 10-second time bonus and will wear the race leader's ochre jersey into Wednesday's second stage from Unley, in southern Adelaide, to Stirling in the Adelaide Hills.

The young rider gave much of the credit for his stage win to his Orica GreenEdge teammates.

"I felt really good all day and the team obviously backed me all day, because they rode the front from the start, so I'm just super happy that I could finish it off for them," he said.

Ewan survived the final sprint just ahead of another Aussie rider, Mark Renshaw, with Dutchman Wouter Wippet finishing third.

Ewan has won six races this month but said this victory means the most.

"It's really a proud moment for me. I've never led a world tour race before and to lead my first one in my home country is a real honour for me," he said.

French cyclist Alexis Gougeard won both intermediate sprints of the opening stage, and also took out Most Competitive Rider for stage one, awarded to the cyclist who instigated the most attacks or breakaways, or helped their teammates to best advantage.

Toward the end of stage one, Aussie rider Mathew Hayman got a flat tyre and was swiftly given a replacement — the wheel of teammate Michael Hepburn's bike.