Movistar's Hour Record holder Alex Dowsett celebrated his return to the road with a one-second victory in the 26.1km time trial at Bayern-Rundfahrt.
Dowsett pipped Katusha's Tiago Machado by just one second on the line in Hassfurt, finishing the course in 31 minutes and 33 seconds.
After three sprint stages to open the race Dowsett's win gives him a two-second lead in the General Classification with only the relatively flat stage to Nürnberg remaining on Sunday.
The five-stage race has brought two wins for Ireland's Sam Bennett, riding for Bora-Argon 18, as well as a victory for Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo winner John Degenkolb.
Brits have a history of success in the Bavarian race, with Geraint Thomas claiming the overall victory in both 2011 and 2014 and a second place in 2013.
Dowsett's now teammate Adriano Malori won overall in 2013, riding for Lampre-Merida.
Should Dowsett hold on to his two-second lead on Sunday's stage it would be his first stage-race win as a professional.
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