AJ August and Thymen Arensman battled it out on The Tumble climb as the INEOS Grenadiers took on the penultimate stage at the Tour of Britain.
On a route lined by incredible fans the team hit the front on the approach to two ascents of the tough Welsh climb.
Geraint Thomas got through a lot of work alongside Ben Swift before Sam Watson and Lucas Hamilton took it up on the lower slopes of the final climb.
Arensman hit out and accelerated to kick off the attacks with 3.3km to go, before August put in a pair of accelerations in a bid to thin out the group. A final dig with 700 metres to go brought no joy for the young American, who was still able to finish on the back of a select GC group in 14th. Arensman finished two places further back, with August now 14th overall and the Dutchman in 18th with one stage remaining.
The final day looks set to be an emotional one, with Thomas’ final stage as a pro concluding in his home city of Cardiff.
Over at the Vuelta, stage 14 saw the peloton resume racing following a brutal finish 24 hours earlier atop the Alto de L’Angliru.
Egan Bernal battled on after being distanced on the day’s penultimate climb of the Puertu de San Llaurienzu. The Colombian champion now sits 18th overall on the GC.