Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) won the 2023 Women’s Santos Tour Down Under, taking the ochre jersey by scooping up victory in the final stage 3 in Campbelltown.
The Australian stayed as close as possible to an attacking Amanda Spratt (Trek-Segafredo) over the main Corkscrew ascent and then used the descent expertly to reduce her deficit before the finish.
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Brown came back to Spratt at the flamme rouge before outsprinting her for the stage 3 win and GC victory, as well as the points jersey, at the 2023 Women’s WorldTour.
Georgia Williams (EF-TIBCO-SVB) won the group sprint for third place.
The Women's Tour Down Under returns in 2023 with its status elevated to Women's WorldTour, which means it will be the season opener for the top-tier competition.
The race hasn't been held since 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent border closures leading to two years of cancellation. It resumes its January position with not only a new status, but also a new flavour after a change to the team of race directors as Stuart O’Grady and two assistant race directors, Annette Edmondson and Carlee Taylor, are stepping into the role.
The racing will begin with the Schwalbe Classic through the streets of Central Adelaide before heading into the three-stage South Australian tour.
Join Cyclingnews forlive coverage of the 2023 Women's Tour Down Under, and check in after each race for our full report, results, gallery, news and features.
Women's Tour Down Under
Start Date: January 15 2023 End Date: January 17 2023 Location: South Australia Category: UCI Women's WorldTour
After the opening criterium, the Women's WorldTour event will begin on the 15th of January in Glenelg, crossing over 110.4km as it heads south through the vineyards of the McLaren Vale wine region towards Aldinga. It will be a fast, flat finish for the sprinters along the coast at Snapper Point.
Stage 2 is one for the puncheurs, with its Birdwood start and 1,630 vertical metres of ascent through the Adelaide Hills. That includes a 7km long categorised climb at Mount Lofty as the race heads toward a finish in Uraidla. The final 93.2km day starts in Adelaide. The peloton will take on the Corkscrew climb and head down to the Campbelltown finish, where the overall winner will be crowned.
Cyclingnews will be bringing you previews, news, features and tech from the professional peloton in Australia leading up to, during and after the race. Here we will also share how to live stream the Tour Down Under, no matter your location, with ExpressVPN.
