Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) finished second in a group sprint on stage 6 of the 2020 Giro d'Italia on a positive note Wednesday.

Matthews, who has won two stages and been the race leader in previous Giro's, as well as other sprinters and all-rounders after Filippo Ganna's (Ineos Grenadiers) devastating time trial in Palermo last Saturday, The options for Maria Rosa disappeared.

However, his fourth place in the uphill finish in Agrigento on Sunday, eighth in Villa Franca Tirrena on Tuesday, and second in Matera on Thursday were his best results to date and an encouraging sign that the team is providing him with the backup he needs.

Beating Arnaud Demaret (Groupama-FDJ) did not look easy, especially after the Frenchman's devastating advantage on stage 6, but Matthews was adamant that a stage win was possible.

"It was a good day. The start was easier than I expected. I took positions in the peloton with the team, as I have done so far in the Giro, and I kept Wilco [Kelderman] out of trouble for most of the stage," Matthews said in comments released by his team after the finish. Kelderman is in third place, 48 seconds behind Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step).

Kelderman suffered two punctures and was, as Matthews put it, "on tenterhooks," but the team maintained a position near the front in the last 25 km.

The team was also out in force on the crucial right-hand bend, where the road narrows with about 4 km to go and simultaneously steepens and becomes a punchy, short climb.

"It was a pretty crazy final with some pretty hectic uphill sections," Matthews said.

"I was able to get second in the sprint, so overall, it was a much better day than yesterday [stage 5] and I'm happy with how I felt.

With just a few days left in the first week, Matthews has two more chances to claim victory. One is a flat course to Brindisi on Friday, and the other is a complicated hilly course to Vieste on Saturday. The race returns to the mountains on Sunday.