Two Iranian cyclists, Hossain Jahanbanian and Amir Zargari, stepped up to the podium after the 187.7 kilometer third stage of the Speedy Tour d'Indonesia from Cirebon, West Java, to Purwokerto, Central Java, on Tuesday.

Rider Jahanbanian from the Tabriz Petrochemical team snatched the yellow jersey after clocking the fastest time of 4 hours, 56 minutes and 58 seconds.

Only 13 seconds behind him was his teammate, Zargari.

Another 13 seconds behind was home rider Parno from Customs Cycling Club, who was third overall but came first in the local cyclist category.

Tuesday was Parno's day, as he also took the polka-dot jersey for outpacing Zargari and his senior compatriot Tonton Susanto of Dodol Picnic Garut team in the King-of-the-Mountain race in the climb 143.3 kilometers into the stage.

Parno was also ahead of local cyclists Tonton and Rastra Partria from Jakarta Cycling Club in the local cyclist category.

Meanwhile, in the first sprint of the stage, at the 67.5 km mark, Fatahillah Abdullah from Benteng Kranggan team won the first intermediate sprint, while Filipino rider Arnel Quirimit from Jazy Sports Beacon was the fastest in the second sprint at the 127.5 km mark.

But Anuar Manan of Malaysia is still at the top of the overall sprint standings with 15 points, followed by Fatahillah with seven points and Indonesian rider Samai from Dodol Picnic Garut with six points.

The tour organizers said Tuesday that the cyclists would start from Purwokerto City Hall at 9 a.m. Wednesday to head to Semarang, Central Java, for the fourth stage.

Separately in Semarang, the organizers said they had worked with the Central Java traffic police to ensure safety along one of the most crowded routes in the tour: Semarang-Salatiga-Boyolali-Muntilan-Yogyakarta.

"We have asked for support from the traffic police at police posts to ensure that no vehicles are allowed onto the 143-kilometer route when the cyclists are passing," an executive with the organizers, Seno Sudono, was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

He said that some traffic was inevitable, such as at Kalibanteng traffic circle in Semarang and on the roads in front of traditional markets in Salatiga and Boyolali.

Several riders, including second stage winner Brad Hall of Australia, have complained that traffic jams hampered their progress in earlier stages. Some also criticized the numerous potholes along the route, which could cause accidents.

Eighty-three cyclists took part in the third stage of the tour, which covers a total a 1,726.3 kilometers in 12 stages.

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