Team Sky had to battle through a seriously testing stage three of the Vuelta a España after illness swept through the camp the night before.

Four riders and three staff members were the worst-affected and unfortunately two of those riders - John-Lee Augustyn and Ben Swift - were forced to abandon the race during the 157.3 kilometres stage from Marbella to Malaga.

Augustyn exited early on, a huge setback for the 24-year-old South African climber who had been expected to shine in the final Grand Tour after what had been a tough season.

And the news was soon to get worse as Swift joined him on the sidelines at around the 100 kilometres mark, less than 24 hours after he had advertised his sprinting talents and good form with a seventh-placed finish on stage two.

That left the remaining seven riders to bravely battle their way to the finish line in Malaga and they did just that, with Lars-Petter Nordhaug and Thomas Löfkvist actually managing to finish in the front group in 38th and 39th respectively, just 30 seconds behind impressive winner Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma - Lotto).

Survival instincts

"It's a massive blow losing John-Lee and Swifty," said team principal Dave Brailsford when we spoke to him shortly after the stage. "They physically just couldn't ride their bikes anymore - if you are trying to race hard in this heat when you're not right it's just an absolute nightmare.

"Simon Gerrans was really sick during the day and Peter Kennaugh was ill as well but they somehow managed to claw their way to the end. Goodness only knows how much that pair and the other guys suffered today just to get through the stage.

"Nobody has been feeling 100%. Marcus (Ljungqvist, 1st DS) and Rod (Ellingworth, 2nd DS and race coach) were on their knees while Tim Kerrison, the sports scientist, couldn't leave the hotel.

"Whatever it is has affected the staff and riders - we've all but ruled out food poisoning as the riders eat completely different meals to the staff. It's a strange one because everyone is vigilant with the hand gels and sterilising things thoroughly."

And despite the seven riders making it through the stage, Brailsford stressed there are still huge tests ahead, adding: "I think now it's about survival for the next couple of days. They'll all need plenty of fluids and the race doctor is here as hydration is a big issue in this severe heat and it's pretty important we do everything we can to help them to recuperate as much as possible."

Double delight for Gilbert

As far as the race itself was concerned Belgian Gilbert powered to a clear-cut victory and in the process claimed the leader's red jersey from Britain's Mark Cavendish.

The glory had looked set to go to Serafín Martínez (Xacobeo) who had surged clear from a seven-man breakaway group with 45 kilometres remaining of the 157.3km stage from Marbella to Malaga.

Indeed Martínez's advantage appeared enough not only for the stage but possibly the overall lead as he had started the day just 38 seconds down.

But the peloton had other ideas and the lead was whittled down in the closing few kilometres before the catch was made just after the flamme rouge.

From that point onwards it was all about Gilbert as the Belgian found a stunning burst of acceleration on his favoured uphill finish to surge clear of the field. Only Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) was able to keep him in his sights but Gilbert always had enough in reserve and crossed the line three seconds to the good, with Rodríguez a further 10 seconds ahead of third-placed Igor Antón (Euskaltel).

Gilbert's win saw him jump to the top of the general classification, 14 seconds in front of Rodríguez, and also advertised the fact that he's one of the favourites for the World Championships in Geelong in October.

It was a heartbreaking defeat for Martínez after his brave shot at glory. The breakaway group - which also contained Mickaël Chérel (FDJ), Blel Kadri (AG2R), Egoi Martínez (Euskaltel), Javier Ramírez (Andalucía), Niki Terpstra (Milram) and Jelle Vanendert (Omega Pharma - Lotto) - held an advantage of over nine minutes with 90km to go.

But it had started to splinter when Martínez launched his solo attack on the Puerto del León, the first category-1 rated climb of the race. He soon put distance between himself and his fellow escapees - who were gradually swept up on the run-in to Malaga - but didn't quite have enough in hand to hold off the peloton himself, though he did have the consolation of taking the polka dot mountains jersey.