Cycling-Polanc wins Giro stage on Mount Etna, Jungels has overall lead

May 9 ( Reuters) - Slovenian Jan Polanc led almost from start-to-finish to claim victory in the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia on top of Sicily's Mount Etna on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider broke away after only two kilometres and stayed ahead of a chasing peloton to finish first after a gruelling 181 kilometres from Cefalu.

Katusha's Ilnur Zakarin battled back following an early crash to claim second place with Geraint Thomas ( Team Sky) grabbing third place after outsprinting Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) at the line.

Polanc, whose only other Giro win was a mountain stage in 2015, was part of a leading quartet that broke away early on and he gradually outmuscled his rivals.

The chasing riders later ate into his shrinking lead, which was below two minutes with less than 7 kilometres to run, but he held on for victory.

Bob Jungels ( QuickStep Floors) took over as overall race leader, six seconds ahead of Thomas. Orica's Adam Yates is third. Defending champion Vincenzo Nibali is fourth.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Richard Lough)