Stage 3 of the TDU started at Unley today and finished up at the beautiful hillside township of Stirling. Emily and I based ourselves in Stirling on one of the many hills the riders had to conquer at Mt Barker. Boy it was hot today, about 40 degrees, and it was really hilly for all the riders too. We got to see the peleton do two laps at the Mount Barker hill. There was a break away early of three riders and they stayed away for the two laps but were reeled in by the peleton before the finish.
I rode up some of the same hills with Emily on the back of the bike, when you see how quick these professionals ride the hills it leaves you in awe of their strength.
There was a lot of excitement at the finish today, with Cadel Evans making a dash to the line in an attempt to claim a stage win. He did a fantastic job to take third place after being upstaged by relatively unknown rider, Manuel Cordoso who sprinted out of the pack finish and won by 20 metres. It was a great finish today and Andre Greipel still wears the leader’s jersey.
It was so stiffling hot today, even in the shade! I was wet through from perspiration just riding back to the car, only a few kilometres – these guys are amazingly superfit. It was good to get back to our accommodation and take a refreshing shower. Lance Armstrong’s comments on twitter probably summed it up best “ouch!”
Looking forward to another, slightly cooler, big day of racing tomorrow.
If you want to learn more about the Tour Down Under and see all the official results, go to www.tourdownunder.com.au