The Tour de France might be the world's leading bike race, but Canberra sprint star Chloe Hosking says the Tour Down Under is leading the way in women's cycling.
And Hosking says fellow Canberran Nathan Haas's third place at the Australian road race championships showed he was "gunning" for the TDU men's title.
![Canberra cyclist Chloe Hosking won stage three of the Women's Tour Down Under.](http://web.archive.org./web/20171207073746im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/z/s/2/n/y/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtsc17.png/1484553267429.jpg)
Hosking sprinted to victory on stage three of the Women's TDU in South Australia's Barossa Valley on Monday to retain her lead in the points jersey as well.
Orica Scott's Amanda Spratt retained her overall lead, 19 seconds ahead of Hosking's Ale Cipollini teammate Janneke Ensing with the final stage - a criterium in Adelaide - to come on Tuesday.
Hosking won last year's La Course, a women's race held in conjunction with the Tour de France, but said the TDU had gone past it in terms of promoting women's sport.
The 26-year-old hoped over the next few years it would grow to be as big as the men's TDU.
"Out of all the races throughout the world the Tour Down Under are doing probably some of the biggest steps forward," Hosking said.
"You saw with the Tour de France this year instead of them adding another stage they just changed the course, whereas Tour Down Under is trying to expand every year.
"I do hope in 3-5 years it does to grow to being as big as the men's."
Haas finished third at the nationals in Ballarat last weekend behind Miles Scotson.
Hosking said the Dimension Data rider was looking in the best shape she's seen him in and felt it pointed to him having a strong TDU.
She thought the Aussie riders that did well at the nationals were generally targeting the six-stage race, which begins in earnest for the men on Tuesday.
"I think he's really gunning for it, he looks in super form at the moment. I saw him the other day and he's just a ball of muscle, there's no fat on him," Hosking said.
"He has been in Adelaide for a lot of his off-season looking at all the courses ... I think it's definitely on his radar."