ADVERTISEMENTStage 14 of the Vuelta a Espana provided redemption for Robert Gesink.
The Dutchman missed out on a win on stage 10 when he was caught and dropped by Nairo Quintana near the end of the race.
But he was crowned the king of the breakaway after he was first to the mountain-top finish on the Col d’Aubisque.
The 196km Queen stage ventured into France and comprised four big climbs.
The day began with a massive 40-man breakaway.
The Orica BikeExchange team had two men in the break, who catapulted Britain’s Simon Yates to fourth in the general classification.
The 24 year old’s astonishing performance left him 16 seconds off the podium in fourth place.
But the main focus of the race was the duel between the two GC contenders Chris Froome and Quintana.
The Colombian attacked six times but he was not able to break his rival from Team Sky.
Gesink produced a strong finish ahead of Kenny Elissonde and Egor Silin for the first Grand Tour stage win of his career.
Movistar’s Quintana retains the race leader’s jersey with Froome 54 seconds behind in the overall standings.