The Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux rider was part of an eight-man breakaway which formed early on the stage and at one point had an advantage over the peloton of 9min 5secs.

As the breakaway hit the slopes of the Picón Blanco with 7.6 kilometres remaining Frenchman Lilian Calmejane, riding for the AG2R Citroën Team, started with a 14 second advantage.

Calmejane was eventually reeled in, before a three man group featuring Taaramäe, French rider Kenny Elissonde of Trek-Segafredo, and American Joe Dombrowski of UAE Team Emirates went clear inside the final five kilometres.

Calmejane, who led at the start of the final climb, finished fourth on the stage at 1min 16 sec.

With two and a half kilometres remaining, Taaramäe made a decisive break winning the stage by 21 seconds from Dombrowski and by 36 seconds from Elissonde.

The stage victory was enough to give Taaramäe the overall race lead with Elissonde in second 25 seconds adrift.

The leader at the start of the day Slovenia’s Primož Roglič of Team Jumbo-Visma sits third at 30 seconds, with Calmejane in fourth at 35 seconds behind.

Victory at the top of the Picón Blanco is Taaramäe’s third Grand Tour stage victory, following wins on stage 14 of the 2011 Vuelta and stage 20 of the 2016 Giro D’Italia.

Tomorrow’s fourth stage is scheduled to be a flat 163.9 kilometre affair from El Burgo de Osma to Molina de Aragon.