Grace Brown takes first WorldTour stage race win at Tour Down Under

18 Jan 2023 | 09:24 AMBy: Ryan Miu

She’s come oh-so-close before, but Australian rider Grace Brown has finally claimed her first UCI WorldTour stage race win.

Riding for FDJ-SUEZ, the 30-year-old Victorian took the overall victory at the Santos Tour Down Under in Adelaide yesterday.

Last June, Brown came within a whisker of winning the Women’s Tour in the United Kingdom, but slipped to the runner-up’s spot by just a solitary second on the final stage.

She hasn’t had to wait long to break her GC duck, making use of home ground advantage this week. It’s the first time the TDU has been part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour, the highest level of event in professional cycling.

On yesterday’s stage three, Brown beat Amanda Spratt in a head-to-head sprint after an intriguing finale triggered by the Corkscrew Road climb.

Spratt attacked at the foot of the Corkscrew and crested with a 19-second gap over Brown. But the Australian time trial champion chased her way back on the descent of Montacute Road, making contact with just over one kilometre to go.

Grace Brown chases Amanda Spratt on Corkscrew Road climb on stage 3 of the 2023 Santos Tour Down Under — *Brown keeps Spratt within sight on Corkscrew Rd. (Photo: Zac Williams)*

“I’m really pleased,” Brown said after the finish.

“I knew that Amanda was going to be really good on the Corkscrew, but I just kept her within distance, knowing that I could potentially catch her back on the descent, and I was able to do it.

“I put a bigger chainring on this morning knowing this might be a scenario that plays out, so good decision, I think.

After accounting for time bonuses, Brown clinched the general classification by 10 seconds ahead of Spratt, with New Zealand’s Georgia Williams in third.

Brown had been sprinting for bonus seconds earlier in the race, and said she’d learnt from her disappointment at the Women’s Tour.

“I’d been in a similar situation last year at the Women’s Tour of Britain where I lost the GC by one second in the final stage, so I wanted to be on the front foot this week,” she said.

Rachel Neylan was the top finisher from the Australian national team, finishing ninth overall.

Earlier in the week, track endurance star Alexandra Manly continued her outstanding return to road cycling, winning stage two into Uraidla.