BURY cyclist Simon Yates pulled off a stunning solo rider to claim victory in Friday's sixth stage of Paris-Nice.
The 24-year-old former Derby high School pupil triumphed on the 193.5-kilometres route from Aubagne to Fayence, which featured six categorised climbs.
Yates (Orica-Scott) won by 17 seconds from Colombia's Sergio Henao (Team Sky), with Australian Richie Porte (BMC Racing) a further nine seconds back in third.
France's Julian Alaphilippe retained the overall lead. He was 29 seconds behind on Friday's stage, alongside his Irish QuickStep-Floors team-mate Dan Martin.
Alaphilippe leads Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal) by 36 seconds, with Henao 46 seconds behind in third. Martin is in fifth spot, 1min 20 secs back, while Yates is a further 17 seconds adrift in eighth
The race concludes on Sunday.
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