Pelayo Sanchez secured his maiden Grand Tour stage win as he out-sprinted two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe to win stage six of the Giro d’Italia.

Spaniard Sanchez, 24, shook his head in disbelief after beating Frenchman Alaphilippe on the uphill finish in Rapolano Terme.

The third member of their breakaway, Jayco Alula rider Luke Plapp, faded slightly near the line but took the final place on the podium.

Two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar retained his lead in the overall standings for a sixth straight day, 46 seconds ahead of Britain’s Geraint Thomas.

Pelayo said he had bided his time on the stage, which included some of the white gravel roads of Tuscany featured in the one-day Strade Bianchi race.

“This is amazing. I don’t have words,” he said.

“I knew that it was going to be a really hard day, all day full gas. I tried to save energy and wait for my moment. After two hours of racing everyone started attacking, so I made my move.”

Friday’s stage seven is a 38.5km individual time trial from Foligno to Perugia which features a 6.6km climb at the end.