Rohan Dennis breaks away to win 2nd stage and take over Tour Down Under lead

Former champion Rohan Dennis has taken the overall lead in the Tour Down Under cycling race after winning the second stage Wednesday which dashed the hopes of the other GC contenders

It was a dramatic finale to stage 2 of the Tour Down Under, as the GC fight erupted in Nettle Hill, with Rohan Dennis taking a strong win. Alberto Bettiol suffered with cramps as the sprinters failed to chase back on the day.

Australia´s Dennis was one of five riders who broke away at the start of a climb 22 kilometers (13 miles) from the finish.

Jay Vine launched the initial move with Simon Yates, Rohan Dennis, Jai Hindley and Mauro Schmid following. The group quickly opened up gap as the peloton struggled to chase

Race leader Alberto Bettiol suffered with cramps and was dropped from the peloton. The gap to the front shrunk in the closing kilometers as the peloton picked up the pace.

Hindley made an early move, and Rohan Dennis counter-attacked, getting a gap within 500 meters of the finish line.

He managed to extend it and took a short solo win, aswell as taking crucial time for the overall classification which he now leads. Jay Vine and Mauro Schmid finished second and third two seconds behind, the peloton rode in 11 seconds back.

He went on to win the stage by two seconds from compatriot Jay Vine and Mauro Schmid of Switzerland.

Tour favorite Michael Matthews of Australia, who began the day in the second place, dropped his chain at the start of the final climb and now is out of contention. Italy´s Alberto Bettiol who previously was the overall leader lost his chance when he suffered cramps 11 kilometers (6.5 miles) from the finish.

Wednesday´s 156-kilometer (98-mile) stage was the longest of the tour which ends Sunday atop the 710-meter (2,300-foot) Mount Lofty.

VIDEO: 2023 Tour Down Under Stage 3 Highlights

2023 Tour Doen Under Stage 3

1 AUS Rohan Dennis Jumbo-Visma 04:00:40
2 AUS Jay Vine UAE Team Emirates + 02
3 SUI Mauro Schmid Soudal Quick-Step + 02
4 GBR Simon Yates Team Jayco-AlUla + 02
5 AUS Jai Hindley BORA-hansgrohe + 05
6 AUS Caleb Ewan Australia + 11
7 LAT Emils Liepins Trek-Segafredo + 11
8 NZL Corbin Strong Israel-Premier Tech + 11
9 AUS Kaden Groves Alpecin-Deceuninck + 11
10 FRA Paul Penhoët Groupama-FDJ + 11