Richie Porte remains in pole position heading into the final day of the Volta a Catalunya in southern Spain, Mark Jamieson was playing his part in the para cycling track world championships in the Netherlands while Cameron Wurf enjoyed a successful debut as an endurance triathlete.

Thirty-year-old Porte stayed out of trouble on the 194-kilometre windswept penultimate stage of his latest World Tour stage race and retains a five-second advantage for the conclusion in Barcelona.

The Sky rider leads Domenico Pozzovio (AG2R), while Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) sits two seconds further adrift despite suffering a major crash in the last 3km.

Sky sports director Nicolas Portal said: "Richie's in a great position to take the win now but the race is far from over.

"We tackle eight laps of an undulating circuit in Barcelona and it'll be like a rollercoaster ride with hardly any flat. We're expecting attacks to come, but Richie's in good form and we'll do everything we can to wrap up the victory tomorrow."

Having taken a year out from his contract with Cannondale, Wurf produced a superb performance to be the first amateur home in his maiden 70.3 triathlon in California.

Predictably, the Hobart 31-year-old blitzed the 90km cycling leg in just over two hours but also recorded a 28:32min (1.9km) swim and 1:31.09 (21km) run to finish in 4:10.57, first in his 30-34 age group and 19th overall.

"Must have been a little bit of beginner's luck! Amazing atmosphere out there, thanks oceanside!" Tweeted the former Olympic rower.

Thirty-year-old Jamieson, originally of Nook, was operating as the pilot for blind Gold Coast cyclist Bryce Lindores in the men's B 4km pursuit at the para cycling track world championships in Apeldoorn

The pair finished seventh in a final which saw compatriots Matt Formston and Michael Curran lose the gold medal ride-off to Dutch duo Stephen De Vries and Patrick Bos.

Despite being named in the initial MTN Qhubeka squad for the 239-kilometre sprint-friendly Belgian Classic Gent-Wevelgem, Jamieson's former team pursuit world champion teammate Matt Goss, of Launceston, was not in the final team of eight which lined up for the race last night.