Giro d'Italia 2023 Stage 3 LIVE - Furious pace set on wet climbs, Remco Evenepoel looking strong as Mads Pedersen and Michael Matthews position themselves for stage finish

STAGE 3, TOP FIVE

1 Michael Matthews (Team Jayco Alula) -
2 Mads Pedersen (Trek - Segafredo)
3 Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
4 Vincenzo Albanese (EOLO-Kometa)
5 Stefano Oldani (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Wow, that was a slog of a sprint finish. All the favourites came round the final corner in a great position and then it seemed to go into slow motion. They gave each other enough room to do their thing, and the Australian kicked first. He had the longest to hold it, and it looked like Pedersen might just sneak it, but there wasn't enough road for him to manage it. No-one's arguing with that result.

Jumbo Visma are there as well. Jayco, after all they've done, just need to be careful not to throw it away now. There's a bit of a ramp and then a downhill to come.

He's never been out of position in this final phase and is comfortable enough to take a swig from his bidon. He's happy enough on the wheel of Mads Pedersen but surely the Australian is the favourite at this point. He's not once been out of position in this final phase.

10KM TO GO: 3, 2, 1

Are the bonus seconds available at the sprint, as the race snakes its way through Rapolla. Roglic moves up but Remco goes after him, and through, and takes the seconds. They both gain on everyone else, but the maglia rosa more than defended his lead there.

Involved in a coming-together with Mads Wurtz (Israel - Premier Tech) but the Portugese rider is already back up and at the back of the line, thanks to assistance from his team-mates. These are terrifying bends in the wet. Soudal Quick-Step are doing a great job of keeping Remco safe, but Roglic is lurking right behind him.

If he gets to the finish, and starts tomorrow, Thibaut Pinot will wear a jersey in his final grand tour.

1. Thibaut Pinot 12 points
2. Paul Lapeira 6
3. Santiago Sanchez 4
4. Thomas Champion 4
5. Tao Geoghegan Hart 3

But how much does he have left in the legs. Realistically, even on a normal day, I'm not sure he has the beating of Matthews in a sprint, but you never know. Mostly downhill from here until the sprint point at Rapolla in about 3km.

He's fighting with all he's got, and his team-mates are with him to manage the damage, but there's a very real gap. Ineos are now on the front and not letting up as we go over the top. Thibaut Pinot again takes maximum points over the summit. Can Trek get their man back on?

A bit easier, this one, the Category 4, Valico La Croce - at least in theory. It's just 3km at 6.1%, but it's about how it's ridden, so expect more riders to be shed here.

We're shown Sepp Kuss (Jumbo Visma) on the descent, lowering himself down and fiddling with his rear mech. I'm expecting him to lose a finger but he somehow keeps his digits intact. I can barely watch.

We see an overhead shot of the peloton and it's a shadow of its earlier self. Mads Pedersen, who slipped down the order on that last climb, is returned to the front of the race. Michael Matthews has never been further back than the top five, so the Trek rider should know who his real rival will be today.

And it's Thibaut Pinot (Groupama FDJ) who attacks over the summit to take the full nine mountains points on offer. Pinot takes Santiago Buitrago with him and onto the descent. No real effort to make it stick, however, and they play it safe by rejoining the peloton.

So much damage done on this climb already, which has been ridden at an infernal pace. One by one they go out the back. Jonathan Milan has fallen away, as has Mark Cavendish and Simon Clarke. Filippo Ganna is not going to be vying for pink as he is already going backwards.

UAE Team Emirates are looking good with Davide Formolo, however, as are Jayco Alula who have Eddie Dunbar clearly on a decent day. Jake Stewart (Groupama FDJ) picked up a mechanical but has been able to get back in. Chapeau young man.

37KM TO GO: IT'S HAPPENING

Right on cue, as the gradient increases, the peloton winds up the pace. Jayco Alula aren't here to play, and thanks to their efforts, twenty seconds are taken off the gap to the break within just a few hundred metres. Trek are next to take it up with Natnael Tesfatsion and riders are already being spat out the back - including to great surprise, Magnus Cort.

Most of the big sprinters are still there, but we're still only half way up, as our breakers finally part company. Will Stojnic hang on long enough to collect the KOM point?

40KM TO GO: TIME TO CLIMB

Right then. Onto the Valico dei Laghi di Monticchio, which raises the race by 400 vertical metres across just over six horizontal ones. The pace has picked up over the last 10km, eating into the lead of our two escapees, who have had a long tough day out there. The 90 seconds they have in hand will be ravenously devoured over a very short distance and they will surely be back in the bunch - if not out the back of it - before we're onto the next section of categorised ascent. With the brand new greasy tarmac, it's the descent between the two that I'm most concerned about, though.

We are just 10km out from the first of the closely packed categorised climbs. It might not have been the most exciting stage up to now, but it's about to become a completely different race. The peloton is spread wide across the road, with none of the big names prepared to give an inch. They want to be in position at the moment of truth, when it all kicks off.

But the breakers' advantage has crept up again. We're only 20km from the start of the climbing but it might be that the inclement weather has not been fully accounted for.

The race is about to cross from Puglia to Basilicata, a small, almost forgotten region in southern Italy. It's normally a bit sunnier than this.

THAT INTERMEDIATE SPRINT

Rob Hatch has just said "if you've been with us from the start, deserve a medal." I'll take one, thanks Rob.

With Michael Hepburn never, as he hasn't been, far away. Interestingly we're seeing Ineos Grenadiers at the top of the picture. Perhaps they're making up for letting Tao down yesterday and are concerned that the slippery roads might make a tumble more likely.