Fausto Masnada and Valerio Conti both had cause to celebrate after their one-two finish at the end of stage six of the Giro d'Italia.

The two Italians were part of a 13-rider breakaway during the 238-kilometre journey from Cassino to San Giovanni Rotondo before moving clear of the pack during the final climb.

Having worked together to stay ahead, Masnada had enough left in the tank to secure his maiden victory on a Grand Tour, as well as the first by a home rider in the 2019 edition of the famous race.

While he missed out on the win, Conti could settle for the satisfaction of taking the pink jersey from Primoz Roglic.

Slovenian Roglic had held the lead since the opening stage but a crash early on Thursday cost him not only a layer of skin but also his position in the overall standings.

The Team Jumbo-Visma rider crossed the line over seven minutes after Conti, meaning he slips all the way down to 11th in the general classification.

CONTI CLEAR, BIG NAMES SIT TIGHT

For Conti, there was every reason to delight in coming second. The UAE Team Emirates rider is hoping he can stay in pink for a while, particularly with the major contenders some way back.

"I'm struggling to understand what I've done. As we rode I knew it was possible and I've dreamed about it with the team in the last few days but there's a huge difference between dreaming and actually doing it. I felt good and I'm on form this year, so I went for it," he said, according to quotes on Cycling News.

An injured Roglic, meanwhile, is five minutes and 24 seconds behind after his fall. He finished in the peloton, with the rest of the field not interested in hauling in the breakaway group during a long day in the saddle.

As for some of the other leading Giro contenders, Simon Yates sits in 13th place, just ahead of Vincenzo Nibali.

STAGE RESULT

1. Fausto Masnada (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) 5:45:01
2. Valerio Conti (UAE Team Emirates) +0:05
3. Jose Rojas (Movistar Team) +0:38
4. Ruben Plaza (Israel Cycling Academy)
5. Giovanni Carboni (Bardiani CSF) +0:43

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Valerio Conti (UAE Team Emirates) 25:22:00
2. Giovanni Carboni (Bardiani CSF) +1:41
3. Nans Peters (AG2R La Mondiale) +2:09

Points Classification

1. Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) 121 
2. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 93 
3. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 86

King of the Mountains

1. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) 24
2. Fausto Masnada (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) 18
3. Valerio Conti (UAE Team Emirates) 8

NEXT UP

The seventh stage sees the riders travel 185km from Vasto to L'Aquila. There are some climbs on the way, most noticeably in Popoli around 130km in.