Dan Martin is bracing himself for another stern challenge in the Vuelta a Espana after once more putting in a powerful performance which saw him cement his third place position in the general classification.
The mountainous stage 11 from Villaviciosa to Alto de la Farrapona saw David Gaudu overcome breakaway companion Marc Soler for a first stage victory in a Grand Tour, but it's a case of as you were as far as the top of the general classification is concerned.
Primoz Roglic, who claimed the red jersey on Friday, remains on the same time as Richard Carapaz, with Martin 25 seconds further back in third.
All three riders, along with Enric Mas, finished just over a minute behind Gaudu, but Martin staged a late smash and grab when he sprinted for home to take seven seconds out of Hugh John Carthy, with the Briton now 33 seconds adrift of the Irish cyclist in the general classification.
"It was really a hard day. Every climb was ridden at a fast pace, but I felt good from the start," Martin said afterwards.
"The headwind on the last climb meant it wasn’t too hard in the wheels and negated any attacks.
"But in the last kilometer, I saw it was a tailwind and I felt good, so I wanted to make a sprint – not to be surprised by an attack."
Sunday’s Stage 12 is a demanding 109.4km, before finishing atop the iconic Alto de l'Angliru, where the gradient averages over 10% for its 12.5km distance.
The final 20km is effectively uphill all the way to the line.
"There is no hiding on the Angliru," Martin says.
Sam Bennett, already a stage winner at this year’s race, finished 36 minutes and two seconds behind the stage winner and sits in 142nd on the general classification.
