Matthias Brandle (IAM) attacked from the breakaway to take a magnificent win in Thursday's Stage 5 of the Tour of Britain.
The Austrian was part of a four-man break which got away early in the stage.
Along with Andreas Stauff (MTN-Qhubeka), Maarten Wynants (Belkin), and Shane Archbold (An Post), Brandle built up a lead of over three minutes at one stage but once the peloton began to chase in earnest the gap fell steadily.
Heading into the final climb of Stoke Hill, the quartet held an advantage of 52 seconds.
Brandle went on the attack, and as he did so, Dylan van Baarle (Garmin-Sharp) attempted to bridge from the field to the leaders.
Van Baarle's attack was neutralised, and then it was the turn of Christopher Juul-Jensen (Tinkoff-Saxo).
But he too was reeled in, and Wynants and Archbold, the two remaining chasers from the break, followed Brandle under the red flag.
Brandle was giving everything, but could afford to savour his victory as he crossed the line eight seconds ahead of Archbold, who pipped Wynants to second place.
“All victories are nice, but this one today is certainly one of the most important wins of my career,” said the Austrian winner.
“My breakaway companions and I worked well together. When the peloton started to bring us back at around 40 kilometers from the finish, we put the turbo on and rode a bloc until the foot of the climb.
"When I jumped away on the last few percentages, I knew it was make or break. I am really thrilled to have been able to cross the line with my arms raised.”
There was no change in the overall standings following the stage. Michal Kwiatkowski (OPQS) leads by three seconds from Edoardo Zardini (Bardiani-CSF), with Dylan Teuns (BMC) in third place.