13 Jan TDU Stage 3: A Long Hard Day In The Saddle
Stage 3 of Tour Down Under was a critical stage for our team. We were holding the white jersey, and with the final stage (a criterium) likely to end in a bunch sprint, this would be the decider. Contrary to the super hot tour we had all imagined, stage 3 saw much different weather. Cold temperatures with the occasional rain weren’t an issue, but instead the strong cross winds that saw the peloton split apart on multiple occasions.
It was only 20km in when the hammer went down for the first time, blowing the bunch to bits, with many strong riders getting caught out at the back. Not much later the bunch strung out again, this time catching our little hitter (and white jersey holder) Grace on the wrong end of the split. All our team needed to do was get Grace safely to the bottom of the final climb and the jersey would pretty much be hers. Little interest in the chase group saw myself and Specialized Womens Racing rider Lucy Bechtel take on most of the work in getting the group back to the front bunch.
About 30km later, not having much more to give after that effort, I lost contact with the peloton. In an attempt to make time cut it ended up being one of the longest/hardest days on the bike, as I still had to work hard to get home on time, without the help of the bunch.
It was the best feeling to get back to the team van. Not only had I finally finished for the day, but hugs from all the girls meant we had done it. Grace made it all the way to the base of the final climb, and even had the legs for a killer 8th place! Not to mention Mikayla who came in an impressive 7th, and Debs who just slipped into top 20. Not bad for such a young team.
Just as we thought, a bunch sprint decided the final stage, and with our whole team finishing in the front group we had won the white jersey- such a surreal experience, one that wouldn’t have been possible without all of the hard work behind the scenes. Thank you to Patrick and Tammy for all of the organizing, and Jordan for being super swanny for the week. Thank you all so much!
