The peloton is now strung out as the gap begins to fall...
As the esape hits the dirt of Cottonwood Pass, their lead is now down to just a few minutes.
As the peloton hit the dirt, the attacks hit the peloton... most will be pulled back.
Up the road, an Optum rider has attacked the escape... Michael Friedman will only achieve a brief advantage.
Meanwhile, other attacks from the peloton have successfully bridged up... Danielson has made contact with Zabriskie and Haas, who have lifted the pace and are shelling escapees...
Tejay has reason to be concerned, with three Garmin-Sharp riders up the road, he'll need all he can get from his team to keep yellow at the end of the day.
As they crest the summit of Cottonwood Pass, there are only 8 or so riders left from the escape.
Tejay was surrounded by teammates for most of the day...
The pace set by Zabriskie in the break has reduced its number to six as they head North from Buena Vista.
The peloton is now in full flight on this last bit of fairly flat road before the climb of Independence Pass begins.
And then there were four... Dave Z has kept a brutal pace...
As they reach the tree line, it is now just Danielson and Francisco Colorado... their lead now down to two minutes forty...
Tejay and BMC are closing the gap, slowly...
Danielson lifts the pace yet again, soon Colorado will have to ease up.
Two kilometers from the summit, the chase has dwindled to just over a dozen riders, the gap is still shrinking... can they catch Danielson before the top?
The chase were about one thirty behind at the summit and descended like men posessed; Danielson is within the final few hundred meters...
...while the sprint to catch him is now in full force!
Danielson just holds off the charge - winning by just two seconds over Caruso and Fuglsang.
The beneficiary of the day? Christian Vande Velde! He's now in yellow - taking the jersey on the third tie-break of finish position today. He was two places ahead of Tejay...
So for the third day, we've a third man in yellow... what will tomorrow bring - other than starting off by climbing back over Independence Pass?