Michael Matthews pipped Mads Pedersen to victory as stage three of the Giro d’Italia proved more selective than expected.
Pedersen was in pole position as he was guided on to the uphill finish of the 213km stage from Vasto to Melfi by his Trek-Segafredo team, but Matthews launched his sprint first and had the power to hold off the former world champion.
They were part of a much-reduced peloton that managed to survive a punishing final hour of a stage contested in damp conditions in southern Italy, with several riders shed from the top 10 of the general classification as the fight for pink came into focus.
Remco Evenepoel stayed safe in the lead and even managed to stretch his advantage slightly, picking up bonus seconds by winning the intermediate sprint ahead of rival Primoz Roglic.
Pedersen had briefly been dropped towards the top of the final climb and the effort required to get back on terms proved crucial at the end.
For Matthews, it was a first victory since stage 14 of last year’s Tour de France, with the first part of his season marked by a positive test for Covid-19 and a crash at the Tour of Flanders.
“What I’ve been through this last few months, to now come back with a victory for the team...they rode all day today and fully committed for me to win the stage,” the Australian said.
“It’s been such a rollercoaster this year so already on stage three, to have a stage win is more than I could dream of.
“I heard Pedersen had been dropped on the climb so I hoped he would be a little bit pinned for the sprint. I knew I needed to go early and get the jump on them and it worked out.”
It was not until the final 40 kilometres that the race came to life as the peloton hit the extinct volcanoes of the Southern Apennines, with several riders quickly going out the back.
Evenepoel reached out for the bonus seconds up for grabs at the intermediate sprint inside the final 10 kilometres.
“We were just there,” the Belgian said. “We wanted to take the downhill in first position because the rain made the roads tricky. It didn’t cost much energy (to sprint) so if the seconds are there to be grabbed, we should not be afraid to take them.
“It’s one more second on Primoz and three on the rest so that’s good after quite an easy day with a hectic finale.”
Evenepoel now leads by 32 seconds from Joao Almeida, who recovered from a late crash to avoid time losses.
Roglic is up to third, 44 seconds down after Filippo Ganna and Stefan Kung fell away. Geraint Thomas sits fifth with a 58-second deficit, with Tao Geoghegan Hart a further four seconds down in seventh.
Frenchman Thibaut Pinot, racing his final Giro, moved into the lead of the mountains classification.
The race continues on Tuesday with a lumpy stage from Venosa to Lago Laceno, a day when Evenepoel has indicated he might look to hand over the pink jersey by allowing a breakaway to prosper.
