Tour Down Under 2018 | Stage 3 Race Report

Stage 3 of the Tour Down Under was set to be a scorcher. With temperatures hitting 42ºC in South Australia, the decision was made to shorten today’s race in the interests of safety.

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Just one small lap around Victor Harbour instead of three, which took roughly 25km off the total stage distance. It’s another nod to the history of this race - Stuart O’ Grady won this stage in 1999, and Luis Leon Sanchez won from a 26 rider breakaway in 2005.

Just 2 riders made the move today however, and you’ll recognise them both by now. King of the Mountains leader Nic Dlamini of Dimension Data and Scott Bowden of the UNI-SA team didn’t have to work too hard to get away. They would be well advised to save their energy for the Cat 1 ranked Penny’s Hill, offering a juicy 16 KOM points to the first rider over the top.

Dlamini and Bowden had a 5 and a half minute buffer at the foot of the climb, which arrived after 35km of racing. Bowden, with the summit in his sights, did everything he could to shake Dlamini, but the South African was having none of it - he showed everyone why he’s got the blue polka dots on his back, closing down Bowden’s attacks and then launching one of his own to take maximum points.

10km later, and the first intermediate sprint in Myponga was taken at a canter by Dlamini from Bowden. Behind them, attacks were launched in a fierce bid for the final bonus second - Bora-Hansgrohe sprinter Sam Bennett was able to lock down third place, perhaps not for his own interests but more to protect Jay McCarthy’s position in the overall standings.

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Watch more on GCN...
Tour Down Under Stage 2 http://gcn.eu/TDUStage2018Stage2 📹
Climbing Nasty with Emma Pooley http://gcn.eu/ClimbPooley 📹

Photos: © Bettiniphoto / http://www.bettiniphoto.net/ & ©Tim De Waele / http://www.tdwsport.com

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