French cyclist Bastien Tronchon won stage 10 of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday after a thrilling sprint finish. The Groupama team rider was so amazed by his victory that he put his hand to his helmet in disbelief as he crossed the finish line, admitting later that he was not even sure if he had won.
The 184.7-kilometer stage ran from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra. Early in the race, seven riders built a lead ahead of the main group. However, teams Visma-Lease a Bike and Cofidis controlled the pace of the peloton to keep the leaders within reach. With ten kilometers remaining, only two riders—Michael Gogl and Fredrik Dversnes—were left out front, but the main group quickly caught them.
With just one kilometer to go, Yevgeniy Fedorov and Xabier Azparren made a final attack. The peloton caught them right before the finish line, where Tronchon timed his burst of speed perfectly to beat Magnus Cort Nielsen and Thibau Nys to the line.
"I finished on the line but I wasn't sure if there were some guys in front or not, so I didn't put my hands in the air," a delighted Tronchon said after the race.
In the general classification standings, Spain's Enric Mas retained the leader's red jersey ahead of Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall. Pre-race favourite Tadej Pogacar had abandoned the race on Saturday after breaking his collarbone in a heavy crash.
Stage 11 will cover 153.8 kilometers from Cartagena to Lorca, offering another great opportunity for sprinters despite a category-three climb at Morrón de Totana near the end.