Movistar's Nairo Quintana won the third stage of the 93rd Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.
With the sprints behind them, this was a day for the mountain climbers on a 180.1km stage from Vidreres to the Hors Category mountain finish at Vallter, which is 2000m above sea level and has an 8.7% gradient.
Swiss Champion Martin Kohler, Haedo, Domagalski and Edet attacked and had a lead of 7.30 after twenty kilometres. Eighty kilometres later, they were five minutes clear but with 63.4kms to go, their lead was 6.10 ahead of the peloton that included race leader Gianni Meersman.
With 37.5kms to go, the escapers had been split and only Nico Edet and Domagalski were at the front of the race with Kohler and Haedo chasing, some 31 seconds behind but 3.27 ahead of the peloton.
Into the final twenty kilometres of the stage on a sunny day and the gap between Edet and Domagalski and Kolhler and Haedo was 55 seconds and 4.20 ahead of the peloton who had Team Sky on the front.
The peloton worked together and the gap was down to 1.50 with 11kms to go.
Cofidis rider Nico Edet shed Domagalski for the last ten kilometres as the climb which had been going on for some thirty kilometres, got steeper.
The peloton now led by Blanco was getting nearer and nearer Edet whose face was showing the signs of being away from the seventh kilometre.
There was snow on the sides of the road as Lotto Belisol's Jurgen Van Den Broeck charged after Edet and caught him with 4.3kms to go.
Edet dropped back into the peloton which had Sir Bradley Wiggins on the front as Van Den Broeck took a six second lead.
He was caught with two kilometres to go and Garmin Sharp's Tom Danielson took over on the front in temperatures of -2.
Under the red kite and Wiggins attacked. He was soon followed but his move has completely had split the peloton.
With 200m to go, Quintana went and the Colombian was not to be caught and won in a time of 5.01.19. Valverde was second with Rodriquez third and Bradley Wiggins fourth six seconds back.
Movistar's Alejandro Valverde is the new race leader, eight seconds ahead of Joaquin Rodriquez and ten seconds ahead of Bradley Wiggins.
Oscar Gatto won the Dwars door Vlaanderen Belgian Spring Classic race this afternoon.
A cruelling 199.7kms over 13 hills in the cold and wet from Roselare to Waregem was the fate of the 176 riders.
Fourteen riders in Steegmans (OPQS), Bassajev (Astana), Mol and Veuchelen (Vacansoleil), Juul Jensen (Saxo), Hayman (Sky), Stamsnijder (Argos), Van der Sande (Lotto-Belisol), Saramotins (IAM), Sijmens en Zingle (Cofidis), Gène (Europcar), Napolitano (Accent Jobs) and Brammeier (Champions System).took to the front before the first climb of the day - the Quaremont.
An early crash saw British rider Alex Dowsett forced out with a knee injury in a crash which also saw Champions Systems Ryan Roth, Chan Jae Jang and Ganq Jiao as well as Bille, Goddeart, and Wetterhall all forced to abandon.
With 80kms to go, Roman Zingle of Cofidis shot away and got 45 seconds clear. He was caught by Steegmans, Bazayev, Veuchelen, Saramotins and Matt Hayman who attacked and with 35kms remaining was 33 seconds ahead before Stijn Vandenbergh and Oscar Gatto joined him.
Their attempt to stay away failed and Maes, Vandenbergh, Gatto, Hayman, Ian Stannard, Keukeleire, Leukemans, Bazayev, Iglinskiy and Voeckler became the leaders on the road.
With 21kms to go and three climbs left, Team Sky's Geraint Thomas had got himself into a second group which included Terpstra, Leukemans, Lindemans, Gallopin, Larson, Saramotns, Thurau, Vantomme and Devolder and was 25 seconds behind the front group.
There were seven kilometres left when Europcar's Tommy Voeckler made his move. Maes tried to being him back but the Frenchman held off until metres from the finish line where he was caught by Oscar Gatto who took the win in a time of 4.43.22 ahead of Borut Bozic and Matt Hayman, Mirko Selvaggi and Thomas Voeckler.
British road race champion Ian Stannard finished tenth.
Source: DSG
