An untimely puncture may cost Australian Chloe Hosking in the Tour of Qatar

SHE has the legs but not the luck with a puncture potentially depriving Australian Chloe Hosking of a maiden victory in the Tour of Qatar.

Chloe Hosking

SHE has the legs but not the luck with a puncture potentially depriving Australian Chloe Hosking of a maiden victory in the Tour of Qatar.

Hosking conceded the golden leaders jersey in the four-stage international road tour when she suffered the mechanical failure just 3km from the finish of the third stage of the desert tour.

The untimely puncture in the 112.5km stage meant the Victorian rider could not contest for the sprint won by Dutchwoman Kirsten Wild.

Wild's win - which followed on from the Ditch rider's victory in stage two - has left her in the leaders jersey ahead of the final race of the Tour.

The third stage was raced at an extraordinary 45km/h with Argos-Shimano rider Wild, a former two-time winner of the Tour of Qatar, proving herself the best sprinter in the race with her second win in 24 hours.

Wild now leads overall by three seconds from Hosking (Hitec)  and 16 seconds from fellow Australian Gracie Elvy (Orica GreenEDGE).