ETNA, Sicily - Simon Yates took the overall lead of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday after the British rider finished second on stage six, just behind Mitchelton-Scott teammate Esteban Chaves on the summit of Mount Etna.
Yates overtook Chaves in the final meters but sat up on the approach to the finish line and told his teammate to cross first after the Colombian had spent the whole day in the breakaway.
Thibaut Pinot was third on the 164-kilometer (102-mile) route from Caltanissetta. The Groupama-FDJ rider led the peloton over the line, 26 seconds behind the leading duo.
Yates, who won the young rider classification at last year’s Tour de France, leads defending champion Tom Dumoulin by 16 seconds.
Chaves is third overall, 26 seconds behind the 25-year-old Yates.
The Giro ends in Rome on May 27.
