Tour Down Under, Stage 3, Unley - Victor Harbor - BikeRadar

Stage 3: Unley - Victor Harbor 139km

Tour Down Under 3: 'Stick this' says Davis

The Tour Down Under peloton en route to Victor Harbor (AFP/Getty Images)

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Emotional Australian Allan Davis told his critics to "stick this" after putting 18 months of doping turmoil behind him with a thrilling stage win in the Tour Down Under on Thursday.

Davis, who has been caught up in the fall-out of Spain's Operation Puerto doping probe, won the 139-kilometre (87-mile) third stage in a sprint finish from compatriot Mark Renshaw, who regained the ochre jersey.

"This is amazing for me, for my wife and two kids," Davis said. "We've been through a bit of a rollercoaster ride over the last 18 months, and anyone who's doubted me or said things about me behind doors, you can stick this right up you."

Davis was part of the Liberty Seguros team targeted in the Spanish probe but has vigorously denied any wrongdoing, even offering to provide DNA samples as evidence. He has been unable to secure a professional contract since his latest team, Discovery Channel, disbanded last year and is racing in the UniSa composite Australian outfit. And UniSa underlined the strength of Australian cycling as they brought the sprinter forward and into prime position to beat compatriots Renshaw (Credit Agricole) and Mathew Hayman (Rabobank) in the third bunch finish in three days.

Davis, now second behind Renshaw in the overall standings, said he could see light at the end of the tunnel after his long ordeal. He has launched legal proceedings against cycling body UCI in a bid to ride professionally again.

"I think I'm coming into a pretty good phase over the next five or six years - I'm just getting stronger and stronger," he said. "I think all the sprinters in the world know when I'm there and who I am so it's coming into a pretty fierce battle between five or six of us at the moment. Hopefully over the next few years it will be down to two or three."

For the third stage in as many days, three riders - this time Mickaël Delage (Française des Jeux), Kjell Carlstrom (Liquigas) and Wesley Sulzberger (UniSa) - broke away early, and for the third time they were caught with less than 5km to go.

As they entered the long finishing stretch in Victor Harbor, King of the Mountain leader Philippe Gilbert went for glory from well out and looked likely to win the stage until he was swamped by the sprinters only metres out.

Stage one winner Renshaw, who was told he had retained the leader's jersey on Wednesday only to lose it to Graeme Brown (Rabobank) on a countback, punctured at one stage and needed three riders to help him rejoin the peloton. He said losing the leader's jersey was a blessing in disguise.

"It gave my guys a bit of a rest today because I didn't have to put them on the front to ride, that was the responsibility of Rabobank, so it gave them a bit of a break before tomorrow," Renshaw said. "At the moment it's so tight, with just four or five seconds between everyone so it's really going to come down to the wire."

The fourth stage will be a 134km run between Mannum on the banks of the Murray River and Strathalbyn south-east of Adelaide.

The race finishes on Sunday with an 88km circuit through the streets of the South Australian capital.

© AFP 2008

Results

STAGE 3 RESULTS

Results: Cyclingnews.com