Troubled Wiggins off pace in Giro d’Italia

Team Katusha rider Belkov, 28, built up a significant lead and crossed the line a long way clear of the field – so much so that second-placed Carlos Betancour seemed to believe he had won the stage and celebrated accordingly.

Jarlinson Pantano was third for Team Colombia, with Tobias Ludvigsson (Argos-Shimano) fourth.

The 170km route from San Sepolcro to Florence featured several downhill sections made treacherous by the conditions, and it was here that Team Sky’s Olympic champion Wiggins struggled.

The Briton finished back in the pack, over a minute behind Belkov, and now trails race leader Vincenzo Nibali by a minute and 16 seconds in fourth.

Nibali, of Astana, leads by 29 seconds from Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), with Robert Gesink (Blanco Pro Cycling) third and a second ahead of Wiggins.

Keighley racing cyclist Tom Moses sprinted to victory in the John May Memorial Road Race held in Sharlston on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Team Raleigh rider saw off stiff competition from Herbalife’s Tom Bustard to win the event.

After Moses and Bustard broke away from the peloton midway through the race, the rest of the field were left behind as it came down to a straight up sprint for the finish.

It was Moses who had the edge as the line approached and he pushed on with Bustard unable to react.

Dave Shackleton of Hull was in third. The 32-year-old Wilsons Wheels RT rider had made an attempt to bridge the gap to the front two but was never going to catch them.

Elsewhere, East Bradford Cycling Club rider Robert Scott continued to show his great promise when he won the Under-16 boys race at the third and final round of the Dolan Schools Circuit Series at Victoria Park in Southport on Saturday.

After placing third and fourth in the two races that made up round two of the series last month, Scott held off Liverpool Mercury rival Chris Fallon by just half a second to take the win.