‘Nowhere to hide’ sums up today’s 139km third stage from Unley to Stirling. We’ll have live updates from 11.30am AEDT.
With no flat road, just undulation, this stage should prove decisive.
Almost from the gun the riders tackle a 6.2km climb up the 500m high Eagle on the Hill King of the Mountain. Expect a UniSA rider to immediately try his luck and break free.
The riders then descend into Stirling to start the first of six laps around an approximately 22km loop. The final sprint finish is slightly uphill and will provide exciting racing should a small selection still be away.
Today’s parcours resembles a smaller World Championship Road Race, but it will hurt like a Spring Classic, especially at this time of year.
It will therefore be interesting to see how General Classification (GC) hopefuls such as Simon Gerrans, Philippe Gilbert and Thomas de Gendt fare after they hit the deck on the descent into Rostrevor yesterday.
Sky’s special Classics training camp over the break has produced a lean, mean cycling team. They should have the Christmas holiday kilometres in the legs to capably defend the Ochre jersey.
But Pro riders are made of tough stuff and Sky might be challenged.
Will a break stay away? Will Geraint Thomas still be wearing Ochre? Join us later today at 11.30am AEDT.
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Roar Guru
That stage promised much and delivered even more. Cracking race. It was like a one day classic!!! Attacks from the get go. Jack Bobridge claimed the KOM points at the first and only official climb. The two Clarkes staying away for over 100kms. And the final climb had it all. Machado's brilliant effort and then the organisation from Blanco to deliver their man Slagter, and Geraint Thomas just defending his ochre jersey. Well, that's it from me. Join The Roar here tomorrow for more action from the Tour Down Under
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Roar Guru
GC Top 10 after today: Geraint Thomas (Sky) 9:56:17 Tom-Jelte Slagter (Bla) +5 Javier Moreno (Mov) + 6 Ben Hermans (RLT) + 8 Daniele Pietropolli (LAM) +15 Gorka Izagirre (EUS) +15 George Bennett (RLT) +15 Jack Bauer (GRS) +15 Wilco Kelderman (Bla) +15 Jussi Veikkanen (FDJ) +15
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Roar Guru
Great work from Australian David Tanner to drop Tom Slagter perfectly off at 300m to go.
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Roar Guru
Gilbert third.
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Roar Guru
Slagter just 4 seconds behind Geraint Thomas on GC after that ten bonus second win. Geraint's fourth finish there controlled the damage.
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Roar Guru
Tanner peels off for Tom Slagter (Blanco) who rides with 300m to go and crosses the line, Goss just behind
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Roar Guru
David Tanner (Blanco) attacked and gone past Wurf.
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Roar Guru
1km to go. Cameron Wurf still in the clear
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Roar Guru
Attacks galore. Cameron Wurf (Cannondale) now off the front
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Roar Guru
Machado's valiant effort has come to an end and he's swallowed up.
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Roar Guru
Jerome Pineau (Omega) and Lachlan Morton (Garmin) have made a small attack. Machado has 2kms to go and he still looks clear
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Roar Guru
Machado increasing his lead. 3.5kms to go.
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Roar Guru
Machado will definitely move into Ochre if he keeps this lead and gets the ten bonus seconds for winning
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Roar Guru
Tiago Machado, 14 seconds down on GC, has attacked! 4.4km to go.
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Roar Guru
Main field with Lotto coming to the front with EBH second have almost pulled back Agnoli. Geraint Thomas is in fourth position. Henderson from Lotto, sprint leadout man for Greipel also pushing hard.
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Roar Guru
The climb has begun and the leaders are almost caught. Astana rider Valerio Agnoli has attacked form the peloton. The leaders are just four now including Agnoli.
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Roar Guru
With only 1 kilometre to go before the final 7km climb to the finish, Gilbert trying to get to the front. .
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Roar Guru
Simon Clarke has been out the front since the 8th kilometre. There's about 9kms to go.
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Roar Guru
Only about 20 seconds to the peloton. There's a lot of lumpy sections and the leaders are struggling.
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Roar Guru
Amador quite happy to pay the fine to the UCI to take a cold drink from the neutral service car inside the neutral zone. 11kms to go.