Thursday, 18 January 2018: Australian sprint ace Caleb Ewan has been the day one Tour Down Under pacesetter for the last two years but has been unable to hold on to the ochre jersey.

Stage wins remain the priority for Mitchelton-Scott at the Tour Down Under, despite holding the top two spots overall.

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Caleb Ewan's outstanding win on Wednesday at Stirling gave him the Tour lead for the third-straight year.

His South African wingman Daryl Impey was second on the uphill finish and he is 10 seconds behind the Australian sprint ace overall.

The top Australian team's aim on Thursday is for Ewan to win stage three at Victor Harbor.

But on Friday the race returns to the Adelaide Hills and a tough finish at Uraidla, followed by Saturday's Queen Stage and its famed summit finish.

Richie Porte, the defending Tour champion, has won the last four Willunga stages.

Mitchelton-Scott team director Matt White was asked whether Ewan might one day be a Tour Down Under contender, given his upset win at Stirling.

"One step at a time - look, he's never going to go up Willunga with Richie Porte," White said.

"So there's your answer.

"Let's concentrate on what he does best, which is winning sprints."

Even though Impey is well-known for his strength on shorter climbs, White said Friday would turn the race on its head.

"Tomorrow's stage will really throw a spanner in the works," he said.

Ewan has never worn the race leader's jersey for more than one day, something he hopes to change on Thursday, and also rack up his eighth Tour Down Under stage win.

He won at Victor Harbor, south of Adelaide, a year ago.

"The plan is to win it again today," White said.

The stage was shortened by two finishing laps, or 26km, because of the 40-plus temperatures.

The heat is not a problem for Mitchelton-Scott, given all their Tour Down Under team are from the southern hemisphere, but White appreciates the decision to shorten the stage.

"The world's changed. Duty of care," he said.

"And it's not going to change the result anyway.

"The temperature's not the issue in Australia - it's the UV.

"We've started stages in the middle of the day in Spain in at the Vuelta in hotter temperatures than this.

"The difference is the UV is not seven, it's 15."

Swiss Steve Morabito (FdJ) did not start stage three after dislocating his shoulder in a crash during Wednesday's stage.