Froome bags first stage win in Giro

CYCLING: Britain’s Chris Froome won the 14th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Monte Zoncolan as compatriot Simon Yates extended his overall lead in the Alps. With the peloton breaking up as riders tackled the grueling final climb on the 186km stage from Sanvito Al Tagliamento, Team Sky’s Froome (above) surged clear to win by six seconds. Mitchelton-Scott’s Yates was second – 31 seconds ahead of defending champion and nearest challenger Tom Dumoulin in the battle for the maglia rosa. With six bonus seconds for finishing second, Yates extended his overall advantage to 1:24. Froome, who moved from 12th to fifth in the general classification with his first Giro stage win, said: ‘It’s a really, really special feeling winning on top of this mountain.’ Despite victory, Froome remains 3:10 behind Yates and the fourtime Tour de France winner added: ‘Even right to the line, Simon was right behind me.’