Primoz Roglic takes Giro d’Italia lead as Juan Ayuso wins stage seven

Roglic pulled on the pink jersey but it was Ayuso who came out victorious in Tagliacozzo

Primoz Roglic pulled on the pink jersey after stage seven (Reuters)

Primoz Roglic pulled on the pink jersey after stage seven of the Giro d'Italia but Juan Ayuso underlined his credentials as his main challenger by snatching victory in Tagliacozzo.

Ayuso had the power to break clear from a select group of favourites in the final few hundred metres of the 12-kilometre climb to the finish, with 2021 Giro winner Egan Bernal taking a hugely encouraging third place after an attacking ride three years on from a career-threatening crash.

Roglic was initially missing when Ayuso made his move but recovered to cross the line fourth on the stage, enough to take pink by four seconds from Ayuso at the end of the first major general classification test - with Mads Pedersen surrendering the lead as expected.

Young Briton Max Poole, 22, was ninth on the stage to move up to fifth overall, 30 seconds down, while Simon Yates sits ninth at 39 seconds.

His brother Adam, carrying injuries from a crash on Thursday, lost a handful of seconds but remains within a minute of pink, while Tom Pidcock lost ground near the finish and is now 70 seconds from Roglic overall.

Another British rider, Paul Double, was part of a seven-strong breakaway on the 168km stage from Castel di Sangro, the virtual leader on the road for much of the day as they built a lead of more than three minutes, but they were reeled in before the steepest part of the final climb.

PA