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Britain’s Simon Yates and Hugh Carthy both gained time on a soggy stage six at the Giro d’Italia which saw another rider hit by a car.
Carthy of EF Education-Nippo is sixth, 38 seconds down, and Yates 49 seconds back in 10th for Team Bike Exchange.
But Yates’ team car hit Deceuninck-Quick Step’s Pieter Serry late in an eventful 160km stage to Ascoli Piceno, won by Bahrain Victorious’ Gino Mader.
Attila Valter of Groupama-FDJ gained the overall leader’s pink jersey.
Belgian Serry, 32, was furious after being struck from behind as the driver of the Bike Exchange car was passing an item through the window of an official race organiser’s car.
The driver has since been excluded from the race and handed a fine of 2,000 Swiss Francs (£1,573).
The incident comes just one day after Bahrain Victorious’ lead rider Mikel Landa suffered a broken collarbone and ribs after crashing with two other riders and a race marshal.
Hungarian Valter, 22, benefitted from a breakaway by the whole Ineos Grenadiers team at the top of a climb with around 35km to go in torrential rain.
Ineos’ 24-year-old lead rider Egan Bernal – the 2019 Tour de France winner – was led up the final climb and now sits third overall, 16 seconds behind Valter, with Quick Step’s Remco Evenepoel a staggering second, 11 seconds down.
Evenepoel, 21, has put in some superb performances on his Grand Tour debut, just nine months after crashing off a bridge and breaking his pelvis in Italy during the Il Lombardia one-day race.
Meanwhile, 2017 Giro d’Italia winner Tom Dumoulin will make a surprise comeback after announcing he would take a break from cycling in January.
The Jumbo-Visma rider will compete in the Tour de Suisse in June.
General classification
1. Attila Valter (Hun) Groupama-FDJ 22hrs 17mins 6secs
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck-Quick Step +11secs
3. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers +16secs
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana-Premier Tech +24secs
5. Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix +25secs
6. Hugh Carthy (GB) EF Education-Nippo +38secs
7. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious +39secs
8. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Trek-Segafredo +41secs
9. Dan Martin (Ire) Israel Start-up Nation +47secs
10. Simon Yates (GB) Team Bike Exchange +49secs
