<p>GUALDO TADINO, Italy — The classics riders are dominating the weeklong Tirreno-Adriatico race.</p>
<p>Mathieu van der Poel claimed the third stage Friday with an authoritative sprint to follow up on wins from Wout van Aert and Julian Alaphilippe in the opening two days.</p>
<p>Van der Poel, the Dutch champion who won the Strade Bianche race on Saturday, edged Van Aert and Davide Ballerini at the end of the undulating 219-kilometer (136-mile) route from Monticiano to Gualdo Tadino.</p>
<p>Van der Poel, who rides for the Alpecin-Fenix team, required nearly 5 1/2 hours to complete the race’s longest stage.</p>
<p>In the overall standings, Van Aert is four seconds ahead of Van der Poel, with Alaphilippe third, 10 seconds behind.</p>
<p>Tadej Pogačar, last year’s Tour de France champion, is looming in fifth place overall, 20 seconds behind. He’ll be expected to contend in Stage 4 on Saturday, a 148-kilometer (92-mile) leg from Terni to Prati Di Tivo that finishes with a major climb and is considered the race’s toughest test.</p>
<p>The sea-to-sea race ends Tuesday with an individual time trial in San Benedetto del Tronto.</p>
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