Good Grace: Mitchelton-Scott teammate Grace Brown puts Amanda Spratt in sight of Tour Down Under hat-trick

Amanda Spratt has retained the leader’s ochre jersey and is heading for her third Women’s Tour Down Under win after her Mitchelton-Scott teammate Grace Brown won Stage 3 of the in Stirling today.

Grace Brown of Australia and Team Mitchelton-Scott celebrates winning Stage 3 of Santos Women's Tour Down Under in Stirling. Picture: Tim de Waele/Getty Images

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Amanda Spratt is just 42.5km away from a third consecutive Women’s Tour Down Under title after her team Mitchelton-Scott dominated the third stage in Stirling yesterday.

Recruit and newly crowned national time trial champion Grace Brown won the 104km stage from Nairne in the Adelaide Hills from Trek-Segafredo’s Ruth Winder and UniSA’s Rachel Neylan, as Mitchelton-Scott filled three of the top five placings including Spratt to retain the ochre jersey.

The Peloton rides near Stirling during Stage 3 of the Women's Tour Down Under on Saturday. Picture: Tim de Waele/Getty Images

With a 49-second overall lead from teammate Lucy Kennedy, all Spratt has to do is finish Sunday’s criterium in the city’s East End to secure another TDU victory.

But Saturday belonged to 26-year-old Brown who attacked on the uphill finish in Stirling and won by two seconds after doing a power of work for her team.

“It was the team plan for me and Gracie (Elvin) to have a go in the final here and it’s really awesome after all the hard work that I get a victory myself,” Brown said.

“It was a really hard day actually, much harder than I was expecting. I think my legs are feeling it from the last two days and there was a little bit of doubt, especially after the neutralisation I felt a bit dead, but I think everyone felt it.

“I have got family and friends here watching so it’s really cool to do that in front of them.”

There was drama inside the final 12km when the bunch went the wrong way and the race was neutralised before the peloton re-grouped for a sprint finish.

TDU race director Mike Turtur - who is not responsible for the women’s tour - said the situation was managed as best as possible.

“It’s an organiser’s worst nightmare, it’s happened to us previously, many years ago, it happened on the (Cadel) Evans race a couple of years back, it’s one of those things,” Turtur said.

“It’s unfortunate, (but) it’s normally dealt with in a way that no-one is disadvantaged, so I’m sure that happened today.”

Amanda Spratt, of Australia and Team Mitchelton-Scott, middle will take a comprehensive lead into today’s final stage of the Women's Tour Down Under 2019. Picture: Tim de Waele/Getty Images

Spratt, who won a silver medal in the world championship road race last year, said she was thrilled for Brown to win the stage and was hoping for smooth sailing on the final stage on Sunday.

“Most of the stage they (teammates) were just controlling it and making sure nothing dangerous got up the road, which was perfect,” she said.

“Then we said in the final we really wanted to work for Grace and Gracie and actually Grace had already done a monster amount of work on the front in that final 10 kilometres and just never died in the lead out.

“Grace has just been so strong in all of the races so far and such a great teammate already, so I am really happy for her.”

Spratt survived a scare in the final stage criterium last year when she crashed but she didn’t lose any time and managed to defend the leader’s jersey.

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Originally published as Good Grace: Mitchelton-Scott teammate Grace Brown puts Amanda Spratt in sight of Tour Down Under hat-trick