Hobart rider Scott Bowden made his presence count for the third day in a row heading up the Tasmanian pack during a heated battle of the Tour Down Under.
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The 2016 Olympic mountain biker (UniSA-Australia) joined king-of-the-mountain leader Nicholas Dlamini (Dimension Data) on Thursday in escaping the bunch after a 7km neutral roll out.
Amid 40-degree heat from Glenelg to Victor Harbour during stage three, the peloton let the gap blow out only for the pair’s advantage to reach almost six minutes.
Dlamini earned maximum points on the first KOM, 38km into the stage before Bowden took the solo route, grabbing points from a second and a first in intermediate sprints at 61.6km and 88.3km.
Reigning champion Richie Porte, who finished 47th in stage three, stretched his legs but crossed first in the peloton to take points on offer.
“If we did another lap here, it wouldn’t have achieved anything else to be honest. So hats off to the race organisers. It was such a hard, hot day,” Porte said of the tactic.
“It may not have looked it and people are saying that we are not riding too fast, but it was like riding through death valley out there on those roads. It was quite a technical finish there.
“I’ve lost time there before being caught behind a crash and the bunch splits, so you lose nine seconds.
“So, it’s good to get through unscathed. Tomorrow we climb and it’s looking good.”
The Hadspen rider has moved back to 27th overall, but is expected to make his climb on the hills – and past contenders – at the weekend.
Hobart’s Nathan Earle finished three spots behind Porte to place 32nd and in control after the third stage.
Campbell Town’s Will Clarke grabbed a third on the King of the Mountain to sit back in 51st overall.