Tasmanian cycling star Richie Porte remains 15 seconds off the pace after Bora-Hansgrohe rider Peter Sagan won a sprint finish on the third stage of the Tour Down Under in South Australia.
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Porte was among a group of 37 riders who clocked 3:46:06 for Thursday’s 146.2km stage from Lobethal to Uraidla, as was CCC’s tour leader Patrick Bevin and Mitchelton Scott’s defending champion Daryl Impey.
The Trek-Segafredo leader said the stage had been taxing on the whole peloton.
“Today was fireworks from the start where we rode fast - they had two bonus sprints there in the beginning - but the team was fantastic again today,” Porte said.
“Patrick Bevin in the ochre jersey, I think they did a good job to control that because it was not an easy stage.”
Friday’s 129.2km stage from Unley to Campbelltown will end with a nine per cent gradient corkscrew, which has not featured in the Tour since 2014, and a 5km descent into the finish line.
Porte said he was looking forward to the challenge of a stage that has previously been won by Tour de France winner Cadel Evans.
“I think today was the first day you actually felt your legs after the stage and I think it’s going to take its toll tomorrow coming into the corkscrew,” the 33-year-old said.
“Today was not easy for everyone in the peloton ... I was so-so today but hopefully the Europeans are hurting more tomorrow on the corkscrew.”
Friday’s stage starts at 11am and is expected to finish before 2.30pm.