(AFP) – Australian Jay McCarthy won Wednesday's third stage of the Tour of the Basque Country in a sprint finish, as Julian Alaphilippe retained the race leader's yellow jersey.

Bora-Hansgrohe rider McCarthy launched his dash for the line perfectly at the end of a 184.8-kilometer route between Bormeo and Valdegovia marked by numerous failed breakaway attempts.

The 25-year-old, the victor at January's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, edged out Belarusian Aleksandr Riabushenko with Team Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski claiming third.

"I knew if it came to a sprint it would be up to me to have a go," McCarthy said. "The guys did a good job all day. First victory here, second win this year. I'm happy to get my second win for the season."

France's Alaphilippe, the winner of the opening two stages in Spain, was again in the mix in the closing sprint and remains eight seconds clear of Primoz Roglic in the general classification.

Thursday's stage is a flat 19.4km individual time trial around Lodosa.

Watch Live: The Tour of the Basque Country is available on FloBikes to viewers in the U.S. And Latin America April 2-7. Streaming starts at 8:30 AM CDT daily, with a predicted finish of 10:30 AM CDT.

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