Sawt Falasteen - Ayuso climbs to Giro stage seven win, Roglic takes overall lead

This 160km run was the first skirmish between the main title pretenders and lived up to its billing as a battle royale played out in the final 3km of a 12km climb at around a 10 percent incline.

It was certainly a big moment for the 22-year-old Ayuso as he claimed his first Grand Tour win and took the white jersey as the top young rider.

"It's my fourth Grand Tour, and I was sometimes very close, but I never managed to pull it off," said Ayuso after the stage in the Apennine Mountains of central Italy.

"So to finally do it today in my first Giro d'Italia is something super special and I will always remember it."

Another youngster in 21-year-old Isaac Del Toro of UAE was second. But Ineos' Colombian Egan Bernal in third at just 4sec was big news.

The former Giro and Tour de France champion has struggled back from injuries that almost killed him, and his smile and tears at the finish line spoke long.

The climb specialist is 46sec down on Roglic due to his average time trial skill, but should be fearsome in the very high mountains.

Overnight leader Mads Pedersen pushed his time in pink as far as it could go until wilting on the final climb. The likeable Dane won three stages and was the star of the race's early going.

New pink jersey wearer Roglic was fourth on the day and the pre-race favourite now leads the Giro just 4sec ahead of Ayuso, who rode away from the climb clique 400m from the line.

"I wasn't fighting to win this one, so it was a good day," said Slovenian Red Bull rider Roglic.

Colombian Bernal appeared to follow but then held back, while fellow South American and former Giro winner Richard Carapaz was also in the mix at 4sec in eighth.

Italians Giulio Ciccone and Antonio Tiberi were fifth and sixth on the mountaintop finish as home hopes fly high on this edition of the race, littered with mountains over the next 14 stages.

Stage eight on Saturday is a similar medium mountain stage while Sunday's stage nine runs over relatively flat terrain to Siena in Tuscany.

E.Qaddoumi--SF-PST