Kelderman began the day 17 seconds adrift of João Almeida of Deceuninck-QuickStep, but now leads the general classification by 12 seconds with three stages left to go.

Almeida was dropped 48 kilometres from the line on the Passo dello Stelvio as his hopes of securing the title were all but ended.

The Portuguese rider now sits in seventh position in the overall standings, 2min 16sec behind Kelderman, who battled to a fifth-place finish.

However, Kelderman too struggled on stage 18 and the two riders who performed best today, Australian Hindley and Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart of Ineos Grenadiers, have launched themselves into real contention for the pink jersey.

The British racer pushed hard but Hindley came out on top in a sprint finish, crossing the line in 6 hours 3min 3sec to move up to second in the general classification, 12 second off Kelderman.

Hart is only 15 seconds off the lead, having been given the same time.

Spaniard Pello Bilbao, third on today's stage, is fourth in the general classification, 1:19 back.

"It was a crazy stage, I think it was the hardest day of my life," Kelderman said. 

"It was a big fight all day but the stage win for Jai is super nice. 

"We dropped Almeida on the Stelvio and from then the race was on."

It is Hindley's first stage win on a Grand Tour - something he hailed as a "a huge step forward in my career".

"I’m over the moon to take the win today," added the Australian. 

"I’ve ridden around in this area a fair bit and I knew the climbs, it’s a stunning part of the world and yeah, it’s just amazing."

The race continues tomorrow with the final sprint opportunity on stage 19, which will see competitors tackle a flat 258km route from Morbegno to Asti.