Belkin's Bauke Mollema won the Vuelta a España Stage Seventeen.
Back after the rest day, this intriguing race had a seventeenth 189km stage from Calahorra to Burgos.
As soon as the flag dropped, there was an attack by Adam Hansen of Lotton Belisol and Franchis Aramendia of Caja Rural and they built a seven minute lead by the 23 kilometre mark.
With 79kms remaining, Hansen, who has ridden in all three Grand Tours this season and and Aramendia had a lead of 3.44.
Onto the Alto de Pradilla and the gap went up to 4.30 as Hansen took the full quota of points on offer ahead of Aramendia with Nico Sijmons of Cofidis taking the final point. King Of The Mountains leader Nicholas Edet, who has 36 KOM points battled it out with Ratto of Cannondale, who has 30 KOM points, but it was in vain as the points had already been taken.
The race, which will be without Radio Shack's Fabian Cancellera tomorrow, as the Swiss rider is going home to prepare for the World Championships in Italy, continued, with the category 3 climb, the Alto de Valmala.
Hansen again took the points ahead of Aramendia with Edet this time taking the single point after jumping out of the peloton.
The wind got up and split the peloton all over the road with two main groups trying to close down Hansen and Aramendia who were 23 seconds clear with 23kms remaining.
Nicholas Roche of Team SaxoTinkofff had got into the first group ehich had fifty seconds of group containing Pozzovivo in the City of Burgos and then onto the final climb which was unclassified.
With eight kilometres remaining, Lampre's Diego Ulissi shot clear but an Eustaktel rider in Egoi Martinez chased him down and caught him, allowing the front group which had Fabian Cancellera on the front.
Under the flam rouge and no-one was wanting to take it up. Bauke Mollema of Bellkin went down the right. But the rest left it too later and Mollema won in a time of 4.44.28.
Second was Boasson-Hagen, third was Maximiliano Richeze of Lampre-Merida, fourth was Garmin Sharp's Tyler Farrar and fifth was Fabian Cancellara of RadioShack Leopard.
Speaking to La Vuelta.com, Mollema said: "I knew there was a chance to attack in the final kilometre. With the wind causing the splits, there was only a small group of riders. "So I waited until the last moment to attack because there were sprinters. This was my only chance. I went and I did not look back. It is a great satisfaction to win this."
Nicholas Roche finished tenth and moves back into the top five on General Classification, which continues to be lead by Vincenzo Nibali.