Team Sky's Froome countered several attacks from Nibali, racing for Bahrain-Merida, on the day's final climb, but the Italian pushed on to take the time bonus for third place.

The Briton, who finished fourth, is now 55 seconds clear of his Italian rival, with the next nearest challenger, Team Sunweb’s Dutch rider Wilco Kelderman, well back at 2min 17sec behind.

Astana rider Miguel Angel Lopez was second on the day, 27 seconds behind Majka, at the end of an exacting 175 kilometre ride from Ecija to Sierra de La Pandera which featured narrow roads in its final four kilometres, with the steepest sections at 15 per cent.

On the first of two key mountain stages this weekend, Majka - whose overall chances were undermined by illness in the first week of the race - was involved in an early break 20km in.

As riders dropped away behind him before being swallowed by the peleton, the 27-year-old Pole pushed all the way to the line, which he crossed in 4 hours 42min 10sec.

Lopez finished 27 seconds behind him, with Nibali, Froome, Ilnur Zakarin, Russia’s Katusha-Alpecin rider, and Kelderman taking the next four places, all credited with a 31-second gap.

Tomorrow's stage 15 provides another serious test in the mountains - there is a summit finish at 2,510 metres - before Monday's (September 4) rest day.