By Mike Price

MONTE SIRINO, Italy, May 19  (Reuters) - Laurent Jalabert raced into the pink jersey of Giro d'Italia leader on Wednesday but the Frenchman had to share the spotlight with two men duelling for the stage win.

'Chepe' Gonzalez triumphed in his fight over the final four kilometres with Italian Danilo di Luca.

After a stream of attacks and counter-attacks the tiny Colombian in the Kelme team colours "kicked" once more to go clear in the final 400 metres of the 20-km climb.

A tiring di Luca was within a second of being caught by the chasing pack. With third place on the 147-km stage from Terme Luigiane, Jalabert achieved a second ambition within 24 hours.

On Tuesday the Frenchman completed a set of stage wins in the "Big Three" tours when he won at Terme Luigiane.

After Wednesday's finish at the top of a Basilicata mountain he added the Giro's pink jersey to his Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana race leader colours won over the past five years.

"This was my dream," he said after taking a lead of seven seconds over di Luca on the fifth day of the three-week race.

"It was also important for the team because the mountains in the last week of the race are too difficult for us. I just hope to keep the jersey for a few more days but I am not here to win the Giro.

"This race suits me better than the Tour, which usually spends the first 10 days on flat roads. In the Giro it gets tougher earlier, which is ideal for me.

"My objective was to win the jerseys of the three tours. I cannot win the Giro, the Tour and the Vuelta," added Jalabert, who won the Vuelta four years ago but does not anticipate winning all three.

Two years ago he took the "rainbow" jersey of world time-trial champion in San Sebastian, another landmark in a career of more than 130 victories.

Earlier on Wednesday's stage Jalabert's tactics were decided by team mate Andrea Peron. The Italian was among eight riders who escaped on the first climb, Passo La Colla, with some 50 kms left to race.

"I could not attack because Peron was ahead," Jalabert said. When the leading group broke up on the Monte Sirino climb, Peron stayed with Gonzalez and di Luca until the last three kms.

Peron wilted under the constant attacks, leaving the two men to fight it out for the stage win.

Gonzalez said later: "I attacked three times to test di Luca, then I gave everything."

He finished five seconds clear of di Luca, who was one second ahead of Jalabert and 1998 Giro winner Marco Pantani at the line.

"This victory was the first aim of my team," said Gonzalez. "Now we want to achieve something in the overall placings and in the Grand Prix of the Mountains."

Gonzalez took the mountains title two years ago, then won a Tour de France stage at Valence the same year and had a Giro stage victory in the Dolomites last year.

Di Luca was content with the consolation of taking second place overall.