Ben Healy on the attack after hemorrhaging time in Basque Country | Video

Ben Healy in the breakaway and driving on the front the day after his general classification hopes disappeared (Photo: Luis Angel Gomez-SCA-Cor Vos)

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) may have seen his general classification hopes slip away at Tour of the Basque Country on stage 3 but the Irish rider tried to rescue the situation today by going on the attack.

Like the other Irish riders in the race - Archie Ryan (EF Education-EasyPost) and Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) - Healy haemorrhaged time on yesterday's stage, when the pace was relentless and the field split to pieces; a badly timed puncture not helping Healy's cause.

However, on today's 169.6km stage from Beasain to Markina-Xemein, Healy got clear in a breakaway group featuring a stellar line-up in a bid to fight it out for stage honours.

That breakaway was started by Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), with the American attacking solo when the race reached a series of cat 3 climbs before the midway point. Healy was among 10 riders to get across, making for a breakaway that might have been expected to succeed considering its composition.

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Also in the group were: Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco-AIUIa), Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Andrea Baglioli (Lidl-Trek), Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost), Leo Bisiaux (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Ander Okamika (Burgos-Burpellet-BH)

With 50km remaining, the breakaway had just 1:30 on the remains of the peloton, being led by Bahrain Victorious and Cofidis and it was starting to become clear the men up front were not going to make it all the way.

However, they persevered inside the 20km to go marker, before being swallowed up by the large chasing group, containing the general classification favourites.

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João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who started the day 3rd overall and four seconds behind yellow jersey, Max Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step), attacked on the final climb, before flying down the descent into the finish to win.

Some 28 seconds later, an 11-man chase group was led in by the winner's team mate, Isaac del Toro, from Schachmann, who has now lost his yellow jersey to Almeida - now leading from the German by 30 seconds.

Dunbar was best of the three Irish riders today, finishing back in 56th at 4:56, with Ryan 88th at 8:22 and Healy placing 109th at 8:40 after being up the road for 100km.

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