Oscar Onley dug deep in the leader's jersey to finish in fourth place on stage three at Vuelta a Burgos.
The Brit went clear of the pack with a select group of GC contenders on the Puerto del Escudo climb, chasing rival Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) through the mist after the Austrian edged clear with 4.6 kilometres to go.
Onley chased hard into the finish, crossing the line fourth and now occupying a close third overall - eight seconds back on Gall with two stages to go.
Netcompany INEOS had worked hard across the stage to help control the eight-man breakaway group, in addition to positioning themselves well over the penultimate climb.
Laurens De Plus helped kick-start the tempo on the final ascent, with Peter Øxenberg also providing support to Onley before the key acceleration arrived.
