After having completed both a transfer to northwestern Spain and well-deserved Rest Day One, riders gathered at the start line of stage 10 of La Vuelta a Espana 2024 on Tuesday afternoon. Race organizer Unipublic had designed the route of stage 10 as a 160-kilometer route from Ponteareas to Baiona. The terrain was hilly and mountainous and included 1 Category One climb, 2 Category Two climbs, and a Category Three climb.

Harold Lopez, Kobe Goossens (Intermarche-Wanty), and Laurens de Plus (Ineos-Grenadiers) were not at the start because of either injuries or illness.

Australian Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) was the first rider to attempt to escape from the peloton. American Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) then launched a solo attack - still shortly after the start of the stage. Multiple breakaway attempts then followed from within the chasing peloton. McNulty was caught and other riders tried their luck. The optimists included Wout van Aert (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Harold Tejada, and Mathis le Berre (Arkea B & B Hotels).

Multiple riders were dropped from the rear end of the peloton when the riders entered Alto de Fonfria (Category Two; 15.3 km; 4.4%)

Several riders launched breakaway attempts on the Alto de Fonfria. Courageous riders included General Classification outsiders Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) and Cristian Rodriguez (Ineos-Grenadiers). However, the Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe team reeled in all attacking riders. Either race leader Primoz Roglic was aiming for an additional stage win, or the riders were deemed too strong to be allowed to engage in breakaway efforts. 

Wout van Aert, Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), and William Junior Lecerf (Soudal-QuickStep) formed a small gap shortly before the top of the climb and the trio pressed on after the Van Aert had secured the points for the Best Climber Classification.

Multiple teams sent riders to the front of the main peloton to support the chase effort. With 120 kilometers remaining, the front trio had an advantage of approximately twenty seconds.

Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) and Juri Hollman (Soudal-QuickStep) bridged the gap to the front trio on the flat section that followed the descent.

Italian veteran rider Alessandro de Marchi (Jayco-Alula) tried to make the leap to the front group, but his attempt failed. With 75 kilometers remaining, the front quintet had a time advantage of 03:35 over the chasing peloton. De Marchi was waiting for the peloton somewhere in between. 

The riders in La Vuelta were approaching the second climb of the day – the Alto de Vilachan (Category Three; 6.3 km; 5.5%) approximately sixty kilometers from the finish line. The time gap had been increased to more than six minutes by the courageous riders.

The main peloton group was riding at a relatively relaxed speed on the climb and riders from several teams were dispersed across the whole width of the road.

Lecerf led van Aert and the rest of the front quintet across the top of the climb and the front men initiated a fast descent. The next challenge on today’s climbing menu was the Alto de Mabia (Category Two; 6 km; 5.8%). 

Riders from Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe moved to the front of the main peloton on the Alto de Mabia and increased the pace. When the five frontmen reached the top of the climb, their advantage had been reduced to 05:42 minutes with 38 kilometers remaining.

The riders in this year’s La Vuelta now approached the Alto de Mougas. The Category One mountain would be the final climb in today’s stage. While Soler and Pacher left the other riders in the breakaway group behind, the main peloton was now spearheaded by riders from Decathlon-AG2R in support of their General Classification leader Ben O’Connor.

EF Education-EasyPost sent riders to the front of the main peloton in support of Richard Carapaz. Many riders were dropped and now only approximately twenty riders remained. Soudal-QuickStep’s Mattia Cattaneo moved to the front for Mikel Landa and set a fast pace on the climb.

Wout van Aert and Pacher were still in front when the riders reached the top of the final climb. The front duo was being chased by Lecerf, less than a minute behind, and Soler further back. The general classification favorites group was slightly less than five minutes behind at this point, while any attacks from GC challengers had been neutralized at this point.

A minor bump in the road remained for van Aert and Pacher to conquer before the final stretch to the finish line in Baiona. The duo remained together during the short climb and then entered the descent, which featured beautiful and stunning views over the coastline. Multiple lighthouses protected the ships from the dangerous cliffs. For now, it was the energy stores of the riders that were being splintered to pieces after the intense cycling on their road bikes in stage 10 of Vuelta a Espana.

Pacher attacked van Aert with 1.6 kilometers remaining of the stage. The pace was intense along the coastline and through small villages. Van Aert immediately closed the gap. Pacher tried his luck again in the final two hundred meters but was Wout van Aert who was the strongest rider on the day. 

Wout van Aert has won stage 10 for Visma-Lease a Bike ahead of Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ). Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) secured the final spot on the stage podium by winning a small bunch sprint approximately two minutes later.

O’Connor remains general classification leader in Vuelta a Espana.

Wednesday’s stage 11 of La Vuelta a Espana 2024 will be a mountainous 166.5-kilometer ride on the roads of Spain from and to Campus Technologico Cortizo Padron.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for additional coverage from Vuelta a Espana 2024.

Our cycling coverage is sponsored by Meyer Burger – Solar Power Deluxe – The “Apple” of Solar energy systems. Meyer Burger offers premium solar solutions for roofs, balconies and open spaces. Visit www.meyerburger.com to get the ultimate in solar panels and produce your own energy. Demand the highest quality – ask for Meyer Burger.