The Critérium du Dauphiné's eighth and final stage was set to prove decisive in the GC.
Despite Richie Porte (BMC) leading with 1-02 over former team-mate Chris Froome (Team Sky) and 1-15 over Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), the Australian would have his work cut out to keep hold of the yellow jersey with three difficult mountain passes over a 115km route to the summit finish of Plateau du Solaison.
Long-range attacks were likely to be the name of the game, with the short distance of the stage unlikely to favour a breakaway group.
The onus would be on Froome and Fuglsang to take it to Porte, with the winner of the Dauphiné often carrying a mental edge into the Tour de France.
Whatever happens, it's been another thrilling Dauphiné that whets the appetite even more ahead of the Tour de France in July.
Catch-up with the highlights here or read our full report on the day's stage.
The UCI WorldTour continues ahead of the Tour with the Tour de Suisse, which is running from June 10 to June 18.
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