Simon Yates produced a blistering ride to seize the initiative in the sixth stage of Giro d’Italia and storm into a 16-second lead.
The 26-year-old became only the fourth Briton to wear the maglia rosa - pink jersey - in the history of the race – joining the company of Mark Cavendish, Sir Bradley Wiggins and David Millar for that honour.
Yates’ Michelton-Stott teammate, Colombian Esteban Chaves, won the stage with Bury’s Yates, the 2013 points race world champion, rolling in behind him in the 163km stage to Mount Etna.
Yates attacked the field in the last two kilometres and now boasts a 16-second gap over nearest challenger, reigning champion Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands. Chaves is 26 behind overall.
And Yates admitted the victory was sweet after he took the opportunity when it presented itself.
“I felt really good,” Yates said. “I looked across the road and everyone was looking at each other. I had a bit of a gap so I took the chance and in the end it worked out. “I said to him as soon as I caught him that he could take the stage because if I had enough time I would take the jersey. “He’d been up the road all day and he deserved it. "There are 15 stages left in this year’s competition. No Briton has ever won the race since its inception in 1909. Yates’ fellow Brit – four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome, is eight in the general classification, one minute and ten seconds behind his compatriot. Sportsbeat 2018