Michael Matthews of Orica Green Edge has taken over the lead of the 69th Vuelta a Espana after victory on the third stage in Arcos de la Frontera.
Alejandro Valverde of Movistar led the riders off the Don Juan Carlos 1 aircraft carrier for the start of a 197.8km stage from Cadiz to Arcos de la Frontera in what was described as a homage to the new King Of Spain.
Five riders in Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (MTN – Qhubeka), Danilo Wyss (BMC Racing Team), Luis Mas Bonet (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA), Jonathan Fumeaux (IAM Cycling), Jerome Cousin (Team Europcar) attacked after ten kilometres and were eight minutes clear after 50kms of racing.
That was down to five minutes, thirty kilometres later as Cousin took the second climb of the day - the alto Alcornocales after having taken the first to put him in the KOM jersey.
With just under seventy kilometres to go, Bonnet went off on his own and was a minute clear with 55kms left.
The peloton with Orica GreenEdge working for Michael Matthews needed thirty kilometres to catch Bonnet and five kilometres after rhe catch, there was a crash which saw Castroviejo and Malori of Movistar hit the deck just missing Chris Froome.
The 2013 Tour De France winner and his Sky team had done plenty of work to bring back Bonnet but they could not stop Adam Hansen from surging away.
In his tenth consecutive Grand Tour, Hansen was 22 second clear and stayed away until there was 5.7kms to go. Tony Martin of Omega Pharma Quick Step took over on the front but Alberto Contador and Peter Sagan started to move up on a day where temperatures were around the thirty degree mark.
Katusha led with 500ms left on a very technical finish but Dan Martin of Garmin Sharp went after Caruso and caught him but he was followed by Michael Matthews of Orica Green Edge who got round Martin to win in 5:12:15.
Third was Joaquin Rodriguez of Katusha with Belkin's Wilco Kelderman fourth and his team mate Paul Martens fifth and BMC's Cadel Evans in sixth.
There was double delight for Matthews who now leads the race by four seconds from Nairo Quintana of Movistar, eleven seconds from Alejandro Valverde, fifteen seconds from Rigoberto Uran Uran and seventeen seconds from Damiano Caruso of Cannondale.