I was able to finish 5th and picked up the most sprint bonus seconds overall and Katie had a strong finish with the pack as well as picking a couple of sprint points too! Katie sadly dropped in the GC, however, she was only handing the jersey over to me and we kept Sorella at the top as well. Darcy also skipped the scenic route today and finished strong!
Stage 3 - climbing stage. Katie and myself being the heavier riders would be at a disadvantage on the climbs where Darcy would be at an advantage, however, there were long periods of flat that would suit us heavier two better. It would be a tough race for all. With two days of racing in our legs, we were all tired but motivated to finish strong.
The race started thick and fast, and the first 8 or so miles were pancake flat and the speed was up. The first climb was a short one and started to pull the group apart. Katie and I managed to stay with the front pack as they headed to the second climb. This is where it got ugly. If I haven't mentioned it before, I don't like climbing. I race on the track and I complain about the slight incline on the finishing straight as it's a slight uphill to the line. The second climb was longer and really pulled the pack apart leaving us with a group of about 15 at the front. Katie and I were able to squeeze in and hang tight. The group did then slow down quite a bit which was nice for us to catch our breath before the next climbs (a repeat of the two we'd just done). Just before the climb, the front group was caught but again, the climb pulled it apart just a little. As we came to the final climb, it was all about emptying the tank. I found a light gear and spun my legs as hard as I could, got to the top, noticed I had a couple of seconds on the next person and decided to just keep hammering. I hadn't quite thought this through as there were another 4km (2.5 miles ish) to get to the finish. I hammered as much as I could and as the finish line approached I thought that maybe, just maybe I could make it. Someone was closing in fast (badass who had won the sprint stage the day before) and as the finish line was tantalizingly close, the whipped on by for the win.