Matthews fends off Pedersen to win stage three of Giro d'Italia
Matthews and Mads Pedersen were neck-and-neck until the final corner, but the Australian, who was set up perfectly by his Jayco-AlUla team, moved in front on the home straight to emerge victorious.
Trek-Segafredo's Pedersen finished second, ahead of Kaden Groves(Alpecin–Deceuninck) and Vincenzo Albanese(EOLO-Kometa).
Corratec-Selle Italia riders Alexander Konychev and Veljko Stojnic were the early pace-setters, leading the stage for the first half of the race, before being reeled in by the main group with 36 km to go.
Tuesday's stage four is a 175km ride from Venosa to Lago Laceno, which features two long and manageable ascents before culminating in a steep climb and a flat finish.