(AFP) – Italy's Elia Viviani of the Deuceninck Quick-Step team won a sprint finish for the third stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race over 226km from Pomarance to Foligno on Friday.

Viviani clocked 5hr 36min 45sec after the mostly flat run through central Italy, edging out Slovak Peter Sagan, riding for Bora-Hansgrohe on the line.

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Colombian Fernando Gaviria of the UAE Team Emirates finished third in the same time.

"It was a chaotic sprint," said Viviani who gave his team a second win after France's Julian Alaphilippe on Thursday.

"Even the general classification riders were fighting for position to avoid losing any time.

"I lost my two lead-out guys but we always have a spare one and, this time, it was Zdenek Stybar. He put me on a good wheel and that was Peter Sagan's."

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Britain's Adam Yates, of Mitchelton-Scott, holds the leader's blue jersey.

"It's been a long day but the sprinters' teams wanted to control," said Yates.

"We sat behind them and I tried to save energy. Tomorrow is not as hard as stage 5 but it could still be decisive."

Saturday's hilly fourth stage covers 221km from Foligno to Fossombrone.