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Stage 3 of the 2016 Tour Down Under have been decided in very exciting circumstances on the Corkscrew Hill as Simon Gerrans (Orica) sprinted home to stage victory ahead of Rohan Dennis (BMC) and Michael Woods (Cannondale).
For the most part, stage 3 was incredible similar to stage 2 as a one man breakaway escaped and spend much of the day up the road.
Laurens De Vreese (Astana) spent all bar the final 20 kilometres up the road, in the lead of the race on his own. While his lead went up and down from everywhere between one and four minutes, he was out in front all day and ensure the peloton had to chase in hot conditions.
The chasing responsibility was taken up by Tinkoff mainly, looking after their leader Jay McCarthy who of course started the day in the overall lead of the race.
However, in the final 40 kilometres the peloton was an absolute sea of teams as they battled for control. After McCarthy had taken a further two bonus seconds at intermediate sprints throughout the day, he held a six second provisional lead on General Classification heading into the finale of the day.
Heading to the bottom of the Corkscrew it looked like Cannondale would lead, until Tinkoff came through and took over, leading onto the climb. After a small crash, the peloton had reformed and BMC, Orica and Sky had all found their way to the front.
The pace was cracking going up the climb and as Tinkoff ran out of team mates, McCarthy would come through and do the work on his own.
Eventually, with just under a kilometre of climbing to go, Richie Porte would come through and make a massive attack. He dropped all bar a four man group that included himself, Sergio Henao (Sky), Michael Woods (Cannondale) and Domenico Pozzovivo.
Towards the top, Woods and Henao went off on their own and carried a solid advantage over a six man chase group that included Gerrans, McCarthy and Porte.
They would all come back together on the fast descent, with speeds of over 100 km/h recorded. Despite a few attempts at attacks, none would stick and it would be a bunch sprint at the line.
Gerrans, who won the stage came from a long way back through the group to edge out Dennis on the line who looked like he had it for all money. McCarthy meanwhile, narrowly missed out on third place and bonus seconds to Woods.
With that, Gerrans takes a slender overall lead into tomorrow’s fourth stage.
Stage top 3:
1. Simon Gerrans (Orica GreenEdge) @ 3:37:34
2. Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team) + 0:00
3. Michael Woods (Cannondale) + 0:00
General classification top 3:
1. Simon Gerrans (Orica GreenEDGE) @ 10:28:12
2. Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff) + 0:03
3. Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team) + 0:05
Scenes of Cadel Evans racing away up the Corkscrew won’t be seen again, but we should still expect an entertaining race as the famous hill returns in Stage 3 of the 2016 Tour Down Under, which stretches 139 kilometres from Glenelg to Campbelltown. Join The Roar for live coverage from 12:30pm (AEDT).
Today’s stage should be aggressive, with some of the best puncheurs in the peloton vying for seconds and the stage win.
However, as Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff) rode away with the Stage 2 win, ahead of Diego Ulissi (Lampre), he left behind a crash that took down some of the big names, including Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE), Geraint Thomas (Sky) and Richie Porte (BMC).
With the crash occurring in the final kilometre, all those who fell were awarded the same time as McCarthy, but there may be fitness concerns.
Defending champion Rohan Dennis (BMC) was lucky enough to miss the crash,
Today’s stage sees the peloton ascend Corkscrew Hill, which is short but very steep, and the bends and twists mean only the best can get away.
However, it is not just the climb that poses a threat. On the other side lies an equally steep descent towards Campbelltown before a tight right-hand turn lines the riders up for the finish. Whoever leads into that final bend could take the stage.
Before the finale on Corkscrew come lots of undulations and uphills, ensuring the legs will burn throughout.
Once again, there will be two intermediate sprints, at McLaren Flat and Oakbank.
So, can McCarthy can hold onto his leader’s jersey? He clearly has ambitions for the overall, and it will be a real test on Stage 3.
BMC is an interesting one, with both Porte and Dennis having claims on team leadership, while over at Orica-GreenEDGE it’s all for Gerrans. Thomas (Sky) is the other main favourite for the day, while an outsider to watch is Dommenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r).
Prediction
Gerrans to come out and win the stage, ahead of Porte. McCarthy, though, could well do enough to hang onto the overall lead.
Join The Roar for live coverage of Stage 3 of the 2016 Tour Down Under from 12:30pm (AEDT), and don’t forget to comment if you’re following along.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde