2019 Tour Down Under - stage 3 preview
Lobethal-Uraidla, 146.2km
"On paper, this stage looks quite challenging," head sports director at Mitchelton-Scott, Matt White, tells Cyclingnews. "There are over 3,300 metres of climbing, and when you consider that this is the first heavy effort of the season for many of the riders, it could be enough to cause some damage within the peloton.
"The finishing circuit is going to be decisive, and overall this is going to be a solid day of racing and one that should separate the men from the boys," he continues. "What will be interesting to see is who controls the race, because a sprinter should still be in the leader's jersey, but is he willing to commit to keep the jersey on such difficult terrain? The answer depends on who it is and which team they are, because you don't want to burn off your team if your plan is to then concentrate on the sprint. This could open up the race for some potential GC action in the final."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
How EF Education capitalised on pressure on Wout van Aert to win Dwars door Vlaanderen
'It was up to Visma to reduce the noise around Wout' says DS Vanmarcke as team perfectly anticipate Dutch team's tactics -
Pedal performance: How Matteo Jorgenson re-learnt the art of pedalling
When the American moved to Visma-Lease a Bike, he knew the superteam's big budget would accelerate his development, yet he didn't plan on having to re-learn how to pedal -
Tour of Flanders 2025 contenders - Can anyone beat Tadej Pogačar?
Mathieu van der Poel, Wou van Aert and Mads Pedersen are a few of the riders hoping to deprive the world champion of a second victory -
'Shocking, scarring, and a portal into hell' - Svein Tuft recalls the brutality of the Classics in new book
In his recently released book 'We Will Never Be Here Again: Adventures in cycling from the wilderness to the Tour de France', the Canadian ex-pro describes the chaos of the Classics