Yates is still pick of bunch

BRITAIN’S Simon Yates retained the overall lead of the Giro d’Italia as Italy’s Elia Viviani took his fourth stage win after edging a bunch sprint at Iseo.

Quick-Step Floors rider Viviani held off a strong late surge from Irishman Sam Bennett in a frenzied finish to stage 17, with Italy’s Niccolo Bonifazio in third.

Yates, who began the day 56 seconds ahead of the defending champion, Dutchman Tom Dumoulin, finished the 155km course from Riva del Garda in the main pack to keep his lead intact.

Viviani, who also won stages two, three and 13, is the first Italian to secure four stage wins at a Giro since Ivan Basso in 2006, and extended his points classification lead over Bennett to 58 points.

“It’s the last sprint stage before Rome and it really suited Bennett,” said Viviani. “If he’d won today, he could have come closer to me in the points standings and so we didn’t have to take the responsibility. But HISTORY MAN: Viviani takes fourth stage win when we came to the finish, we organised a great lead-out and it was perfect.” Yates is in a strong position to become the first Briton to win the Giro, with the race heading back into the mountains today, where the 25-year-old will look to take more time off time-trial specialist Dumoulin. Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome also finished in the bunch and is fourth overall, 3 mins and 50 secs behind Yates. LEWIS HAMILTON has warned Mercedes his contract negotiations could drag on through the summer. The reigning world champion has yet to sign an extension to his current deal, which expires at the end of the season, even though it is worth £120million over three years.

Hamilton said: “I told you at the beginning there’s no rush. There’s no discussion with anybody else, no consideration for anybody else. I’m enjoying racing and it’s nice to keep you guessing.”