U.S.' Andrew Talansky takes yellow jersey in Paris-Nice race

United States' Andrew Talansky won the stage stretching from Chatel-Guyon to Brioude.

Lionel Cironneau/AP

BRIOUDE, France (AP) -- American Andrew Talansky held off six riders in a sprint finish to win the third stage of the Paris-Nice race Wednesday and take the race leader's yellow jersey.

The small breakaway group attacked late and the Garmin-Sharp rider finished a bike's length ahead of Davide Malacarne of France, with Gorka Izaguirre of Spain in third.

All three had the same time of 4 hours, 6 minutes, 15 seconds over the undulating 106-mile course from Chatel-Guyon to Brioude.

The three moderate climbs proved too much for Italian sprinter Elia Viviani as the overnight race leader dropped to 59th place in the standings, nearly three minutes behind Talansky, who leads Andriy Grivko of Ukraine by three seconds.