Axel Laurance sprinted to sixth place after a windy bunch finish, while Laurens De Plus and Egan Bernal moved up to sixth and seventh on the GC on the fifth stage of Volta Catalunya.
An early break saw Michael Leonard kick off proceedings over the 165.9km stage, tackling the only categorised climb of the day, the Coll de la Font, with six others, and gaining a 1:30 advantage.
Leonard continued to keep the pace high, racking up a two minute lead, but with the other breakaway riders unwilling to work, Leonard cut his losses, cruising back to the peloton with 70km to go.
The riders battled strong crosswinds, with the Grenadiers continuing to fire on all cylinders as the bunch reduced in the long straight to the finish.
A battle to the line saw Laurance perfectly delivered by Geraint Thomas, but the Frenchman just missed out on podium placings with a tight sprint finish.
Bernal and De Plus rolled in with the bunch in 18th and 20th, respectively, to see them move up the GC with two stages remaining.
Magnus Sheffield put in a battling ride in the leader’s jersey at Settimana Coppi e Bartali but would slip to third overall following a late crash on stage four.
The American was well-placed over the final categorised climb of the Valico Rio Chie alongside Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike) as the race split apart on the run-in.
Sheffield had held a slender three-second lead overnight but would be forced to vacate the jersey in Brisighella, finishing the stage alongside teammate Kim Heiduk.
Tulett went on to claim the victory and now holds an 18-second advantage at the top of the GC standings. Given the same time as the first chasing group, Sheffield now sits third overall, happily only sustaining superficial cuts and bruises. The race concludes on Saturday.