Michael Matthews (Jayco Alula) was 10th overall when he lined up in Tanunda at the start of the first stage of the Santos Tour Down Under. But even on a sprinters' stage, the versatile and in-form Australian moved up in the overall standings, confirming his ambitions.

After losing a 14-second lead to race leader Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-Easypost) in the prologue, rider Jayco Alura wasted no time in reeling in.

While many of his overall rivals would attack on the climb, Matthews would rely on his sprinting prowess.

"Obviously the goal was to get as many time bonuses as possible,"

Matthews told reporters in Tanunda after finishing third in the stage.

"We lost a little bit of time last night, so I think we made up for yesterday in one stage. The team was great today."

Matthews beat Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) in the first intermediate sprint.

Then in the next intermediate sprint, Matthews again moved into second place, earning a bonus two seconds.

The biggest gain of the day was still to come. Third place in the final sprint stage meant more than a podium finish. It shaved another four seconds off his time.

This put him in second place overall, ahead of Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), who was given the same time as his rival despite crashing hard in the sprint.

Matthews was only 6 seconds behind Bettiol.

"If another team gives me a time bonus, I'm going for it.

Jayco Aroura has made it clear that he is aiming for the ochre leader's jersey, and Simon Yates has also increased his chances by adding the Tour Down Under to his lineup.

"Obviously this team has had a lot of success in this race. Obviously this team has had a lot of success in this race. We know what to do," Matthews said, ready to race hard every day and chase every possible bonus second.