A daring break paid off for Christopher Horner as the RadioShack-Leopard rider claimed victory on stage three of La Vuelta between Vigo and Mirador de Lobeira.
The American pulled away from the peleton with less than a kilometre to go on the 172.5km course, passing leader Ivan Santaromita (BMC) with ease and making a dart for the finish.
Vuelta favourites Alejandro Valverde(Movistar) and Joaquim Rodriguez(Katusha) tried to close Horner down but were unable to catch him and had to settle for second and third place, respectively.
The stage win sees Horner take the lead in the general classification with an eight-second advantage over Vincenzo Nibali.
Nicolas Roche, riding for Team Saxo-Tinkoff, lies third in the Vuelta a España after adding a ninth-placed finish to his stage win on Sunday.
One of La Vuelta's stranger routes, Stage 3 featured an extremely smooth 172.5-kilometre stretch before spiking painfully at the end. This flat section plays host to a sharp ascent and the capacity to burn energy rapidly in the latter moments.
Daniel Martin finished in fifth place in today's stage between Vigo and Mirador de Lobeira.
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