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Giro d’Italia Stage 6: Simon Yates takes race lead as team-mate Esteban Chaves takes stage (+ video)yates_and_chaves_via_twitter.jpg

Giro d’Italia Stage 6: Simon Yates takes race lead as team-mate Esteban Chaves takes stage (+ video)

1-2 for Mitchelton-Scott
by Alex Bowden
Thu, May 10, 2018 16:32
6

Simon Yates has taken the maglia rosa after powering away from the group of favourites in the closing kilometres of the 169km stage from Caltanissetta to the Etna Astrophysical Observatory. The Bury rider finished second on the day alongside Mitchelton-Scott team-mate Esteban Chaves who took the stage win.

The first mountain finish of the race brought considerable drama with Colombian general classification contenders Chaves and Sergio Henao (Team Sky) managing to get into the day’s break.

The high pace behind saw a number of contenders dropped, including race leader Rohan Dennis (BMC) with around 3.5km to go.

Chris Froome’s steady approach saw gaps frequently open up as the pace rose and fell, but he recovered to finish 10th on the day and moves up to eighth overall.

Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) remains 2nd and is now at 16s from the race lead.

Chaves, who started the day 14th, moves up to third.

Speaking seconds after the stage finish, stage winner Chaves said: “It's unbelievable. I needed this for my comeback to the Giro after one year of absence. It was a really hard stage here at the end. I firstly thank Jack Haig for pulling so much in the breakaway. This 1-2 with Yates is like a dream.”

Yates said: “Our tactic today isn't what our sport director told us to do this morning. It was a crazy day with a lot of attacks going at the beginning. As Esteban was at the front with a pretty big group, it made me sit back. I could save some energy. It worked out perfectly. I felt good so I took my chance to ride across. Esteban had been out all day so he deserved the win. I knew I was taking the Maglia Rosa, which pleases me a lot.”

2018 Giro d'Italia
Simon Yates
Esteban Chaves
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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6 comments

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daturaman | 6 years ago
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This year's Giro is shaping up to be another corker. The Yates brothers have long looked like GC contenders for the future, there was just the question perhaps of their time trialling ability which I think Simon has largely answered in Jerusalem. Chavez is looking hungry, Dumoulin looks willing and able to defend his title and Froomey isn't out of the running just yet.

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BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
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Did the author actually watch the race because your report is full of holes.
Chaves was still in front with less than 1km to go, and you didn't mention when Yates caught him nor indeed selflessly allowed Chaves to take the stage win.

Fantastic by Yates and Chaves doing what we knhe's capable of. Froome still hanging on in, 70 seconds is not insurmountable, you only needd one bad day to lose loads of time or start riding into form/pacing your effort for GC gaps to dissapear.
Dumoulin is very handily placed and won't be giving up the title without a fight, this could be a battle royale and if it does and comes down to the last few stages then I'm not sure any in the top five will be contenders

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simonmb replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
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BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Did the author actually watch the race because your report is full of holes. Chaves was still in front with less than 1km to go, and you didn't mention when Yates caught him nor indeed selflessly allowed Chaves to take the stage win.

It gives the bones of the result. I don't think anyone comes here for detailed race reports - and I don't think road.cc pretends to offer them. 

What you mentioned is illustrated in the video anyway.

The guys here take a lot of flak - some of it is deserved - but not, I beleive, in this case.

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BehindTheBikesheds replied to simonmb | 6 years ago
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simonmb wrote:
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Did the author actually watch the race because your report is full of holes. Chaves was still in front with less than 1km to go, and you didn't mention when Yates caught him nor indeed selflessly allowed Chaves to take the stage win.

It gives the bones of the result. I don't think anyone comes here for detailed race reports - and I don't think road.cc pretends to offer them. 

What you mentioned is illustrated in the video anyway.

The guys here take a lot of flak - some of it is deserved - but not, I beleive, in this case.

But those were the important bits on the bone, they mentioned yates breaking away from the group, with a few km to go. There was plenty of space with the number of words they used to describe it far better including the most important aspects, they didn't, hence why a bare bones report looks like a poor cut and paste from someone who didn't watch the race/can't report salient points.
Sorry but that's the reality

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kil0ran | 6 years ago
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Best we don't mention Yates' own AAF...

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The_Vermonter | 6 years ago
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Was anyone else hoping there would be some drama between the two and then we have a narrative besides Froome's AAF?

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