BMC's Greg Van Avermaet has won Stage Three of the Tirreno-Adriatico race in Italy and taken over as the new race leader.
Adriano Malori of Movistar was in the leaders blue jersey going into Stage Three on the third day of racing, which saw Nicola Boem (Bardiani CSF), Danilo Wyss (BMC), Carlos Quintero (Colombia), Chad Haga (Giant-Alpecin) and Rick Flens (LottoNL-Jumbo) take a lead of fourteen minutes on this 203 kilometre stage from Cascina to Arezzo.
Danilo Wyss took the two climbs at San Martino and Poggio alla Croceas , as the peloton finally got into gear and brought them to within 4.45 with a hundred kilometres left and to 3.27, some thirty three kilometres later.
With 48 kilometres to go, the lead was down to 2.35 and down to seven seconds as the riders started on the penultimate eleven kilometre finishing lap around Arezzo.
Haga and Boem made a break for it but they were caught with eighteen kilometres to go.
Ivan Basso took a big turn on the front for Tinkoff Saxo, working for Alberto Contador as the riders took the bell lap.
The pace shot up as Lotto Jumbo and BMC both launched attacks before they went under the flam rouge.
Luca Paolini of Katusha attacked but BMC were controlling things as Fabian Cancellera came up. Peter Sagan went but it was BMC's Greg van Avermaet who won in 4.58.17 beating Sagan and Zdenek Stybar followed by Pozzato, Cancellara, Geschke, Martens Grivko, Uran and Wouter Poels.
Greg Van Avermaet leads the race by two seconds from Peter Sagan with Adriano Malori in third. British rider Steve Cummings is eighth.
"Nice day for me," said Van Avermaet. "It was really important and the team did a good lead out and I am happy to have won.
"It is always nice to got your first win of the season in a World Tour race and I am very happy to be in the leaders jersey."