Bastien Tronchon claimed an unexpected sprint victory Tuesday on stage 10 of the Vuelta a España, beating Magnus Cort and Thibau Nys after a chaotic final kilometer overturned Visma-Lease a Bike’s long chase plan.
The 24-year-old Groupama-FDJ rider launched his sprint with about 150 meters remaining. He swept past late attackers Yevgeniy Federov and Mikel Azparren inside the final 30 meters, then held off Cort of Uno-X Mobility and Nys of Lidl-Trek.
Wout van Aert finished fourth after Visma-Lease a Bike controlled much of the long, hilly stage. The Belgian had looked set for his first sprint chance of this Vuelta, but the finale slipped from his team’s control.
Bastien Tronchon seizes his biggest win
Federov of XDS Astana and Azparren of Pinarello-Q36.5 disrupted the sprint trains with a late two-rider attack. Their move forced the bunch into a hurried chase through the twisting town-center approach.
Tronchon timed his acceleration perfectly as the sprinters hesitated behind the move. The victory marked the biggest result of his career, and the Frenchman struggled to process it at the finish.
“It’s crazy, I cannot believe this,” Tronchon said after the stage. He added that recent days had been difficult, and said he had chosen to “trust the process” despite poor preparation.
Van Aert could not hide his frustration after missing the podium. He said the terrain suited him because he likes sprinting on tired legs. He also praised Visma’s work, while admitting he “couldn’t finish it off.”
Visma effort falls short in hilly stage 10 finale
Visma-Lease a Bike and Cofidis shaped the day after an early break of seven went clear. They allowed the escape a workable lead before reducing the gap to around one minute before the final categorized climb.
The 10-kilometer Puerto de Secovos came with 40 kilometers remaining and triggered a wave of attacks. Eddie Dunbar of Pinarello-Q36.5 and Valentin Paret-Peintre of Soudal Quick-Step were among the first to move.
Mads Pedersen, one of the day’s pre-stage favorites, struggled at the back as the bunch opened under pressure. Visma then showed its support for Van Aert, after Matthew Brennan had already won two stages in the race.
Brennan helped close down several threats before Kevin Vermaerke attacked for UAE Emirates-XRG. With Tadej Pogačar out of the race, UAE’s riders had more freedom to race aggressively.
Sepp Kuss, Richard Carapaz, and race leader Enric Mas reacted quickly to Vermaerke’s move. The repeated attacks canceled each other out, leaving Visma able to keep a sprint outcome alive until the final kilometer.
Mas finished safely in the bunch with his general classification rivals, so the overall standings remained unchanged. The Movistar leader carries a 1:18 advantage over Primož Roglič into stage 11.
Felix Gall sits another 21 seconds behind Roglič for Decathlon CMA CGM. Van Aert also retained firm control of the green jersey competition, with stage winner Tronchon starting the day far down that classification.
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