Yates takes third Giro stage to boost lead

BRITAIN’S Simon Yates soloed to a third victory within a week on the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday to extend his overall lead as the race heads into the final stretch.

But Tour de France champion Chris Froome, who won on Saturday’s Monte Zoncolan summit finish, lost more time on the 176km Dolomites stage from Tolmezzo to Sappada, slipping to seventh overall and nearly five minutes behind his fellow countryman.

Mitchelton-Scott’s Yates launched his attack 17km from the finish line on the penultimate climb and held on to add to his previous victories on the ninth stage at Gran Sasso and 11th at Osimo.

He crossed the line 41 seconds ahead of a group led by Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez of the Astana Pro Team, with TeamSunweb’sTomDumoulin of the Netherlands in third.

“My attack was a little bit on instinct,” explained Yates. “I saw a little gap. I gave everything the second time to get away. It’s fantastic.”

Champion Dumoulin is second overall but drops to 2min 11sec behind Yates going into the final week. The race finishes in Rome on Sunday.

Froome struggles

Monday’s final rest day was to be followed by a time-trial at Rovereto on Tuesday where Dutchman Dumoulin i s expected to gain time.

“I feel emotional after today. I’ve been fighting since Israel to build a good lead,” Yates said. “I’m happy with the gap I have now but it’s far from over. It could vanish in 35 kilometres.”

Italy’s Domenico Pozzovivo finished fourth and is third overall, 2min 28sec behind Yates, with France’s Thibaut Pinot of Groupama fourth overall at 2min 37sec.

Four-time Tour de France winner Froome struggled on the fourth and final climb in the Dolomites, losing a minute and a half to spoil his 33rd birthday celebrations.

Froome, helped by teammate Wout Poels, so valuable on Monte Zoncolan, tried to claw back time on the overall leaders but was unable to match the change of pace on the ascent to Costalissoio.

The reigning Vuelta a Espana champion dropped from fifth to seventh overall and is now 4min 52sec behind 25-year-old “King of the Mountains” Yates.

But will Yates’s advantage be enough in Tuesday’s time trial? “I really don’t know,” he said.

France’s Pinot believes the Englishman has done the essential though. “Yates is untouchable unless he has a major failure,” he said.