Every rider is wary about Stage 3 with plenty of up and downs to be conquered in extreme conditions

The Tour Down Under’s Stage 3 looms as a danger day for riders with many short sharp climbs expected to stretch the number of competitors in the finishing group. READ THE COLUMN

Australia’s Rohan Dennis from Team Bahrain-Merida. Pictrue: Tim de Waele/Getty

• Rohan Dennis: Porte man to beat
• Rohan Dennis: Sticking to the plan

Stage 3 from Lobethal to Uraidla is tougher than what the profile says it is.

I think it’s going to be about a 60-person gallop at the finish, I might be wrong, but those short, sharp climbs are up and down all day so there’s a lot of climbing and the heat is coming up to 37C again which will play a part in a reduced bunch at the finish.

Everyone was wary of the stage to Uraidla and have checked it out, so a lot of guys are talking about it as the danger day because it’s not a GC day and not a full sprint day so anything could happen.

I think Peter Sagan is the man to beat or Paddy Bevin or Daryl Impey but I would have to get up the road to beat those guys in a sprint.

Paddy was always going to be a genuine threat at this year’s Tour. He’s like Impey last year, a strong guy who can sprint and get time bonuses on the intermediate points.

New Zealand’s Patrick Bevin from CCC celebrates after winning stage two of the 2019 Tour Down Under in Norwood. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty

It’s now a case of having to get rid of him on the tough climbs. He’ll be there on the Uraidla circuit barring anything going wrong as well as Corkscrew and Willunga which is where we’ll really have to take time out otherwise he wins the Tour.

Yesterday was only 122km but felt like a five-hour stage really. We were going along pretty well at the start but the break didn’t push the limit out in front so we were catching them.

And for some reason it only happens at the Tour Down Under the breakaway sits up after the bonus seconds and KOM which is really frustrating because if you go in the break you at least try to win.

It was a little it sketchy at the finish. I drifted through the peloton a bit, I know the roads pretty well from years of doing the race and there was no wind so no reason to stress.

Then I got stuck behind that crash in the final 600m. My theory especially early season is you’re either first or last in a sprint.

You’re either doing the lead-out and pulling out with 3km to go because you’re not here for GC, or if you know it’s going to be sketchy then stay at the back and out of trouble and don’t worry about trying to get 20th place.