Giro d'Italia - Leader Evenepoel extends his lead - stage to Matthews

Road cycling world champion Remco Evenepoel has extended his overall lead in the 106th Giro d'Italia. A place in the first large group on the third stage was enough for the Belgian, with the 23-year-old gaining three bonus seconds along the way.

>> To the detailed race report of the 3rd stage

The Australian Michael Matthews won the 213-kilometre section from Vasto to Melfi ahead of the Danish former world champion Mads Pedersen and his compatriot Kaden Groves.

Evenepoel is now 32 seconds ahead of Portugal's Joao Almeida in the overall standings. The Vuelta champion extended his cushion on his biggest rival, the third-placed Slovenian Primoz Roglic, to 44 seconds. Lennard Kämna also crossed the finish line with the leading group and is a good minute and a half behind Evenepoel.

Evenepoel secures time credit ahead of Roglic

The race only picked up speed in the last 30 kilometres, when several top sprinters were unable to keep up with the pace on two third and fourth category climbs. Evenepoel's team ensured that the captain was well placed on the descent and secured a time credit in the bonus sprint ahead of Roglic.

Thursday sees the first real mountain test. Three climbs have to be conquered on the 175-kilometre stage to Lago Laceno. Only three kilometres before the finish is the Colle Molella, with an average gradient of over six percent, crossed.

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