Yates loses red jersey as breakaway stays ahead

Britain’s Simon Yates lost his overall lead in La Vuelta as Alexandre Geniez took victory in a chaotic finish to stage 12 at Manon.

AG2R La Mondiale rider Geniez held firm as an early 18-rider breakaway was whittled down, to sprint home ahead of Team Sky’s Dylan van Baarle and Mark Padun of Bahrain-merida.

Spain’s Jesus Herrada did enough to grab the overall lead with an advantage of three minutes and 22 seconds over the now secondplaced Yates.

Herrada was part of the initial breakaway but fell away to finish just over two minutes behind, with the peloton, which included Yates, almost 12 minutes back.

Geniez’s win was marred when he swerved to avoid photographers and crashed into a race official shortly after crossing the finish line, bringing down a number of other riders including Van Baarle.

The 181km stage saw a series of attacks from the start until a prominent bunch including the likes of Geniez, Van Baarle and Vincenzo Nibali managed to establish an advantage of more than ten minutes.

A further attack split the leading group but Geniez and Dylan Teuns (BMC) were among those to reel them in, while Herrada hung in in his bid to claim the red jersey.

Herrada will take his advantage into the forthcoming stages in the Asturias and Leon mountains, while Spanish veteran Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) remains one second behind Yates in third place.

At the Tour of Britain, Primoz Roglic took over at the top of the general classification after his Lottonljumbo team won the team time trial in Cumbria.

The Dutch team finished 16 seconds ahead of Quickstep Floors with Katushaalpecin in third place a further four seconds back.

Paddy Bevin had started the stage in the green jersey but was forced to relinquish his lead as his BMC team trailed in sixth place, 40 seconds behind.

Today’s potentially crucial sixth stage is from Barrow back to Whinlatter Pass.