By Gareth James
Geraint Thomas will start Tuesday’s fourth stage of the Giro d’Italia in fifth place after moving up one spot in the general classification standings.
The Welsh star will begin the lumpy stage from Venosa to Lago Laceno 58 seconds behind race leader Remco Evenepoel.
Michael Matthews pipped Mads Pedersen to victory as stage three 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.
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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 the Tour de France last year, 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, who rides for Team Jayco-AlUla, 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.”
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It was not until the final 40km 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 João Almeida, who recovered from a late crash to avoid time losses with Roglic up to third and Thomas in fifth.
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