On the final uphill kilometres of the 185-kilometre stage from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra, no team was in control, which led to repeated breakaway attempts. Even on the ‘Devil’s Ramp’, two riders – Yevgeni Fedorov (XDS Astana Team) and Xabier Mikel Azparren (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – who had already made his mark in several finals – managed to break away, only to be reeled in less than 100 metres from the finish. From the chaos behind, Tronchon shot past the pair at great speed, leading the pack.

“I wasn’t at all sure whether there was anyone ahead of me, so I didn’t really celebrate properly,” explained the 24-year-old, who was celebrating the third professional victory of his career. It was his first at WorldTour level. “It’s absolutely mad. The last stage was so tough, but I felt good today. It’s a bit surprising, because my preparations for the Vuelta didn’t go well at all – it was all very strange. But today it went really well.”

Visma has overplayed its hand

The Visma | Lease a Bike team certainly cannot claim the same. With Matthew Brennan and Wout van Aert, the team actually had two favourites in its own ranks. However, Brennan was already plugging gaps at the front of the peloton on the final mountain climb, making it clear early on that van Aert would be Visma’s trump card. In the final stretch, however, he lacked the power to break away to the very front. He finished fourth, meaning the Dutch team must be said to have miscalculated.

At least van Aert managed to pick up a few more points for his green jersey, even if not as many as he’d hoped. Nevertheless, he has a comfortable lead over the runner-up in the points classification, Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana Team). With 143 points, he has twice as many as his closest rival, who is also just ahead of Brennan.

There were no changes in the general classification either. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) remains in the lead, 1 minute and 18 seconds ahead of Primož Roglič (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe), with Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) in third place. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain – Victorious) also retains the mountains’ jersey.

2026 Vuelta a España – Results of Stage 10

Here’s how the 10th stage of the 2026 Vuelta a España unfolded

A battle for the breakaway group – which was expected to be a tough one – unfolded over the first 25 kilometres on the day’s first uncategorised climb. It was only on its steepest section that a group finally managed to break away, after several previous attempts had failed. A group of six, comprising Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco AlUla Team), Michael Gogl (Alpecin - Premier Tech), Fabian Weiss (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), Enzo Paleni (Groupama - FDJ United), Ivan Cobo (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Sinuhé Fernández (Burgos Burpellet BH) was joined shortly afterwards by Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility).

The breakaway riders managed to build up a lead of just under three minutes before Visma | Lease a Bike began chasing them down. With 35 kilometres to go, their lead stood at 1 minute 20 seconds. On a climb just before the third mountain classification, the peloton began to increase the pace, and it was Matthew Brennan who closed the gaps at the front.

Sütterlin and Fernández were forced to drop back from the leading group, whilst in the peloton it was Mads Pedersen (Lidl – Trek) who had to give up. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) and Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) gained a few metres, but even that wasn’t enough to make any headway. Towards the end of the climb, which was just under ten kilometres long, even the general classification contenders led by Mas in the red jersey were visible at the front, though he simply played it safe and did not take the initiative himself.

A final out of control

The remaining breakaway riders crossed the summit and began the descent with a 20-second lead. Whilst Gogl was forced to abandon the race seven kilometres from the finish, Dversnes managed to hang on a little longer. He was joined from behind by Iñigo Elosegui (Equipo Kern Pharma), whilst Sepp Kuss (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Milan Vader (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) also caught up with them. However, four kilometres from the finish, it was all over.

It was then Walter Calzoni (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) who tried to win as a breakaway rider once more, but that didn’t work out either. After that, Brennan moved to the front of the peloton again, all the way to the Teufelslappen, to take control. There, Fedorov and Azparren slipped away – and that caused chaos. Behind them, there was no one left willing to do the chasing. Fedorov pulled Azparren along right up to the home straight, but the Spaniard didn’t dare to launch the sprint.

And so the lead over the chasing pack began to melt away rapidly. And then, suddenly, Tronchon appeared, coming out of the blue and gaining a few more metres on Cort, Nys and van Aert.