Stage 3

The road

At the start

Pink for Matthews, and a real climb

Michael Matthews takes over the maglia rosa with Simon Gerrans, Simon Clarke and Esteban Chaves all level on his time — Orica hold the whole top four. Pieter Serry crashed out in Genoa yesterday. Today is only 137 kilometres, but it carries the Barbagelata, five and a half at seven per cent, forty-four from the line. The sprinters find out today whether this Giro is going to be for them.

How it was won

1. 175 km to go

   Tinkoff lay down the law

   With seventy-five kilometres to go and no sprinter of their own to protect, Tinkoff-Saxo ride hard enough to shell Boonen, Greipel and Mezgec out of contention — a show of force, and nothing else.

2. 244 km to go

   Barbagelata

   Seven per cent for the biggest test of the day, and the break's lead is down to eighteen seconds when Pavel Kochetkov jumps clear to claim the mountains jersey and takes twenty-two seconds back on the twisting descent.

3. 310 km to go

   Hansen's birthday raid

   Adam Hansen turns 34 today and celebrates by attacking out of the break, hauling Paterski and Clarke up to Kochetkov with ten kilometres to go — Clarke pointedly refusing to take a turn.

4. 4At the line

   Matthews times it perfectly

   Michael Matthews comes around Felline with 150 metres left in Sestri Levante and wins in the maglia rosa on his first day wearing it.

The result