Teenage Australian cyclist Robert-John McCarthy stepped into the spotlight as race leader Simon Clarke stayed out of trouble in the Herald Sun Tour.
McCarthy scored the biggest win of his emerging career when the 19-year-old took out the sprint finish of a brutally-hot third stage at Nagambie in country Victoria.
Clarke finished 11th to preserve his overall lead ahead of Sunday's decisive last stage at Arthurs Seat on the Mornington Peninsula.
The temperature climbed into the 40s during the 156km stage from Mitchelton Winery and racing started an hour earlier because of the conditions.
A crash 13km from the finish adding to the cyclists' discomfort and it put Pat Shaw out of the tour, but there were no major injuries.
McCarthy, who rides for the Jayco Australia under-23 team, admitted he was stunned to win the bunch sprint at the finish.
"I knew I have the speed, for me the hard part was just getting to the line with those established lead out trains," said McCarthy.
"It's really hard when you're not in one of those established teams to earn the respect of those guys, but I hope I have done that now.
"I crossed the line and I couldn't believe it. I'm a bit speechless to be honest."
McCarthy rode a smart race, locking onto the wheel of Drapac sprinter Jonathan Cantwell in the frantic buildup to the finish and launching his sprint with 250m left.
The stage also panned out perfectly for Clarke (Orica-GreenEDGE), who preserved his eight-second race lead over fellow Australian rider Cameron Wurf (Cannondale).
While pleased with how the day panned out, Orica-GreenEDGE team manager Matt Wilson said the sprint finish was more chaotic than it needed to be.
"Unfortunately there was some confusion for a lot of the riders about the placement of the finish line," Wilson said.
"That led to the guys mistiming the sprint.
"It was a shame after the great work they had done all day, but it was still a good day for us."
Clarke praised the work of team-mates Mitch Docker and Damien Howson as he preserved his energy ahead of Sunday's big stage.
"I hardly touched the pedals all day today, the boys did a great job," said Clarke, who was seventh at last year's world road championships.
"Mitch and Damien were really strong today and they had everything under control, so no stress for me whatsoever."
The Arthurs Seat stage has become a feature of the Herald Sun Tour and Sunday's racing is expected to attract a big crowd.
It will feature three laps of the steep 3km Arthurs Seat climb and a summit finish.
