Tom Danielson got close to his first big win in Europe for several years when he finished third in the penultimate stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.

"I was very motivated today to do a good race for the team," he said. "I got quite sick on stage three, and I managed to get through that, and I've wanted to do some strong performances since then.

"Yesterday I found myself alone in the end of the race with Tony Martin, which was very hard. It truly was a special life experience, and we went full gas until the end. Right after the race I told [sport director] Charly [Wegelius] I wanted to try again tomorrow - and that's just what I did.

"I felt strong all day today and made the final guys. A punchy finish like that is difficult for me. So I raised the pace before the finish in hopes the other riders could not jump me so hard. Finishes like today are not my specialty, but today I proved I'm continuing to improve in areas that are not my strengths and looking forward to the nice long, steep mountains that are coming next month!"