Semple scores penultimate stage

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Adam James Semple (Brisot Cardin Bibanese) outsprinted his three breakaway companions to win the penultimate stage of the Giro del Friuli Venezia Giulia. The Australian bested Mattia Cattaneo (U.C. Trevigiani Dynamon Bottoli) and Sven Schelling (V.C. Mendrisio-PL Valli) for the victory. Vegard Stake Laengen (Norway) finished fourth in the four-man sprint for stage honours, but the Norwegian took over the leader's jersey for his efforts on the day.

Semple, 21, joked with his trainer, professional rider Claudio Cucinotta, about his victory. "Yesterday he told me I'm not good in sprints," said Semple. "I still can't believe I've won, because in the middle of the stage I was tired and I was afraid I would have give up. But in the end when Schelling attacked I used all my forces to follow him."

The new race leader Vegard Stake Laengen was ecstatic about his performance. "I came to this Tour hoping to do well, but I didn't hope to win the jersey, because in my life I've never won a [leader's] jersey in a Tour."

Stake Laengen leads Brazil's Carlos Alexandre Manarelli (Marchiol Pasta Montegrappa Orogild) by 45 seconds and Italy's Matteo Busato (Zalf Desiree Fior) by 1:28 on general classification

Stage three was animated from kilometre zero when 13 riders attacked from the gun, but the breakaway was caught after the Sant'Osvaldo climb.

In Pieve di Cadore at kilometre 68, 28 riders attacked among them Vincenzo Ianniello (Gr Made Tamburini), Georg Reidler (Austria), Winner Anacona Gomez and Marco Stefani (Caparrini Le Villlage), Sven Schelling (Vc Mendrisio) and Daniele Angelini (Gs Podenzano).

During the climb of Sella Ciampigotto the race leader Carlos Alexandre Manarelli joined the front group but after the descent and the intermediate sprint at Ovaro the break was absorbed by the field.

At km 136 Mantas Bliakevicius (Gruppo Lupi) attacked and during the climb up to Cima Corso, the stage's final classified climb, Semple joined him, together with Edgaras Kovaliovas (Vc La Pomme), Schelling, Mattia Cattaneo (Trevigiani Bottoli), Anacona Gomez (Caparrini) and Yevgehiy Slodkov (Kazakhstan).

Kovaliovas tried to go away alone, while Antonio Doneddu (Team Palazzago), Paolo Colonna (Delio Gallina) and Stake Laengen bridged to the lead group. Kovaliovas was caught, and 2km from the finish four riders attacked: Schelling, Semple, Stake Laengen and Cattaneo. The quartet would stay away through to the finish where Semple won the sprint for the stage victory.

Tomorrow the peloton faces the final stage of the Giro del Friuli Venezia Giulia, 164.8km from Arta Terme to Udine.