Jesus Herrada (Movistar) won stage two of the Criterium du Dauphine courtesy of a perfectly-timed acceleration around the final bend.
On the uphill finish in Chalmazel-Jeansagniere, a small, late breakaway looked set to contest the stage but Herrada kicked from the peloton to snatch victory.
Further back, Chris Froome also kicked late to claim eighth place but race leader Alberto Contador maintained his overall advantage as he finished in the peloton.
Six riders formed the day’s break, including Dimension Data’s Daniel Teklehaimanot who was crowned King of the Mountains in last year’s race.
He wasted little time racking up the mountain points too, cresting the day’s first two climbs ahead of his breakaway companions.
The Eritrean rider was joined up the road by Alexis Gougeard (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Jack Bauer (Cannondale), Bartosz Huzarski (Bora-Argon 18), Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) but the latter returned to the peloton early in the stage.
The remaining quintet took their lead to five minutes, but Tinkoff set a steady pace in the peloton before Etixx-QuickStep – with an eye on the stage win – upped the tempo.
Stijn Vandenbergh ramped the pace up first, before Niki Terpstra took over pace-setting duties into the final 30km.
The Cote de Saint-Georges-en-Couzan, the day’s penultimate climb, ended the hopes of stage one winner Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and several of his fellow sprinters as the rouleurs in the bunch prepared to battle for stage honours.
Huzarski and Gougeard pushed on together as the gap to the break closed, meanwhile, denying Teklehaimanot the chance of a third maximum points tally on the climb.
Gougeard kicked again with 17km remaining to go solo at the front, ramping up the cadence with a gap just in excess of 90 seconds to the peloton.
Back in the bunch, Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) attacked off the front and earned a gap but there were plenty of big names – former Sky men Dario Cataldo (Astana) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) who found the going too tough.
Kwiatkowski started picking off the remnants of the break, but the gap to Gougeard held and Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal) and Fabrice Jeandesboz (Direct Energie) all joined the Pole up the road.
By the time they picked off Huzarski, however, the former world champion had sat up and returned to the bunch, which Tinkoff and BMC Racing were setting the pace for.
Four became five as they absorbed Gougeard – he and Huzarski no more than passengers in the leading group after their earlier exertions – but BMC Racing continued to close the gap.
Huzarski and Gougeard paid for their efforts and were dropped from the front group while the counter-punches continued further behind – Sergio Henao (Team Sky) and Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) jumping clear.
Henao was content to sit on Navarro’s wheel, but the Spaniard’s efforts were sufficient to catch the front three only for the peloton to close the gap on the final bend.
It set up a thrilling finale, with Herrada accelerating around the outside to claim the stage win.
Further back, Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) suffered a tangle of wheels with team-mate Alexis Vuillermoz to hamper his GC hopes, while Contador still leads second-placed Richie Porte by six seconds.
1) Jesus Herrada (ESP) – Movistar – 4.13.43hrs
2) Tony Gallopin (FRA) – Lotto-Soudal +2”
3) Serge Pauwels (BEL) – Dimension Data – ST
4) Fabrice Jeandesboz (FRA) – Direct Energie
5) Daniel Moreno (ESP) – Movistar
6) Bauke Mollema (NED) – Trek-Segafredo
7) Greg van Avermaet (BEL) – BMC Racing
8) Chris Froome (GBR) – Team Sky
9) Valerio Conti (ITA) – Lampre-Merida
10) Joaquim Rodriguez (ESP) – Katusha
1) Alberto Contador (ESP) – Tinkoff – 8.53.18hrs
2) Richie Porte (AUS) – BMC Racing +6”
3) Chris Froome (GBR) – Team Sky +9”
4) Dan Martin (IRL) – Etixx-QuickStep +17”
5) Jesus Herrada (ESP) – Movistar +23”
6) Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) – Etixx-QuickStep +24”
7) Adam Yates (GBR) – Orica-GreenEDGE +31”
8) Diego Rosa (ITA) – Astana +37”
9) Daniel Navarro (ESP) – Cofidis +43”
10) Bauke Mollema (NED) – Trek-Segafredo +44”
Chris Froome bags record-equalling third win and Steve Cummings and Adam Yates show good form ahead of the Tour de France
Frenchman beats Romain Bardet to win Queen Stage, as Froome stretches lead with late attack
Team Sky man wins stage ahead of former team-mate after stinging attack on final climb
Norwegian champion sprints to first WorldTour victory for three years; Chris Froome closes gap overall after late split
Italian wins solo after ballsy attack on final descent
