In the same tough mountain stage Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, where young Belgian top star Remco Evenpole (Quick Step Alpha Vinyl) performed poorly, promising young Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) made a resurgent He stepped up his game.

The 21-year-old finished an impressive second behind stage winner Alexandre Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) in the summit finish of Antenas del Maigmo, with Jacob Fuglsang (Israel Premier Tech), Enric Mas, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), and of course, Evenpoel.

According to Valverde's account, the veteran Spaniard suffered a puncture on the climb after a strong early attack.

Valverde's misfortune, however, did not detract from Rodriguez's remarkable progress. He finished third in the first stage at Tralba del Pinar and confirmed his climbing ability by moving up one place on Friday.

The young Andalusian rider has moved up to third overall, just four seconds behind Evenpoel, and barring any major surprises, will remain on the podium at Sunday's finish in Valencia.

After the third stage, Ineos Grenadier's management team was rightfully pleased with the young star, whose climbing talents had soloed the Petit Saint Bernard climb by two minutes on the final stage of last year's Tour de Lavenir.

"These early stage races are always difficult to predict, but today's climb suited him," Ineos Grenadiers sport director Xavi Zandio told Cycling News while waiting for Rodriguez on the team bus.

"He is a small, light climber, so climbs like today that require acceleration suited him better than Wednesday, when he was steady.

"He's very young, but he makes really important steps every year. You never know at the beginning of the season, but of course we thought he had the potential to come out on top."

Perhaps more than his rider's physical prowess, Zandio was impressed with Rodriguez's ability to keep his cool on the crunch climb in Valenciana despite being in an elite group.

Rather than attacking early, Rodriguez waited until the end before attempting to chase down stage winner Vlasov. Zandio scouted the climb and the team watched video of the climb that morning. But he knew exactly how to calculate his fitness."

"He was very calm and bright and a pleasure to work with," Zandio concluded.

"He has proven that the hopes and expectations we placed in him were completely correct."