Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan added to his Tour Down Under haul, winning stage three, as compatriot Richie Porte retained his overall lead of the race on Thursday.

Second-placed Spaniard Gorka Izaguirre lost a lot of skin in a high-speed crash near the Victor Harbor finish and finished well behind the peloton that contested the high-speed finish.

Luckily for the Movistar rider, the crash happened just inside the last 3km, meaning he did not lose any time and remains 20 seconds behind Porte on the overall standings.

Izaguirre was one of three riders to fall, with two-time defending world champion Peter Sagan narrowly avoiding the crash.

Ewan was caught about eight riders back on the finishing straight, but he again showed he was the best sprinter in the field by winning easily as Sagan took second.

It is the fifth win this year already for the 22-year-old from Orica-Scott. He also took out the People’s Choice Classic last Sunday and then stage one.

For Porte, it was a case of staying out of trouble. “There’s so much to lose on a stage like this and not a lot to gain,” Porte said.

Porte, enduring some rotten luck in his career, wanted a smooth run in the 144km stage from suburban Glenelg.

At Victor Harbor last year, Porte was on the wrong end of a split in the field near the finish and lost eight seconds. He finished second overall to compatriot Simon Gerrans by nine seconds.