Cycling:Italian Marco Pinotti opened a big lead in the Giro d'Italia on Friday when he crossed the finish line along with sixth stage winner Luis Felipe Laverde more than seven minutes ahead of the peloton.
Colombian Laverde of the Ceramica Panaria team won the 177-km stage in the hills from Tivoli to Spoleto but Pinotti, now the overall leader three and a half minutes clear of Hubert Schwab of Switzerland, was the day's big winner.
Previous race leader Danilo Di Luca of Italy, who came in with the peloton, is now third four minutes 12 seconds adrift.
Laverde and Pinotti, who rides for T-Mobile, were part of a five-rider breakaway that formed after 61km and the two attacked together 20km out of Spoleto on the final climb.
Christophe Kern of France finished third, 90 seconds behind. The main peloton finished seven minutes nine seconds adrift.
"I'm really happy to have taken the pink jersey. It's my first leader's jersey in a ProTour race and it's a very special moment for me," Pinotti told reporters.
Pinotti, a professional since 1999 whose T-Mobile team revolutionised their management and rider line-up after former team leader Jan Ullrich was implicated in the Spanish Operacion Puerto doping scandal, then spoke out about the drugs problems that have damaged cycling.
In the 2006 Giro d'Italia, Pinotti finished third behind Ullrich and Italy's Ivan Basso, who is also implicated in Operacion Puerto.
"Considering what has happened, it's fair to say I was the strongest that day," Pinotti said.
"Basso's story is very sad and I'm disappointed by it all. His presumed confession only came when he had his back to the wall. That offends our intelligence.
"T-Mobile has brought a totally new way of doing things into cycling this year. We've got the back-up to be able to practise this sport without any banned substances. It should be like that in every team."
Saturday's 254-km seventh stage is from Spoleto to Scarperia, north of Florence and finishes on the Mugello motor racing circuit. It is the longest stage of the 2007 race.