Wout van Aert Wins Stage 10 of Vuelta a España

Wout van Aert secured his third victory of the Vuelta a España on stage 10 with a daring long-range breakaway. The Belgian rider from Visma-Lease a Bike was part of an early escape group that left the peloton behind just over 30km into the 160km stage from Ponteareas to Baiona. Van Aert outpaced France’s Quentin Pacher at the finish having broken away just before the final climb, Alto de Mougas.

Van Aert admitted that he nearly abandoned the race during the first climb but managed to push through due to his versatile riding style. “It was my aim to be in the breakaway,” he said. His persistence paid off as he claimed victory with a time of 3 hours 50 minutes and 47 seconds.

Australian rider Ben O’Connor retained his overall lead in the general classification with the main contenders finishing together, 5 minutes and 30 seconds behind Van Aert. The next stage, set to cover 166.5km on rolling terrain with short and steep climbs will likely intensify the competition as it starts and ends in Padron.

The results for stage 10:
1. Wout van Aert (Bel/Visma-Lease a Bike) – 3:50:47
2. Quentin Pacher (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) – +3 seconds
3. Marc Soler (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) – +2:01
4. William Lecerf (Bel/Soudal-Quick-Step) – Same time
5. Juri Hollmann (Ger/Alpecin-Deceuninck) – +5:13

In the general classification after stage 10:
1. Ben O’Connor (Aus/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) – 40:05:54
2. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) – +3:53
3. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost) – +4:32
4. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) – +4:35
5. Mikel Landa (Spa/Soudal Quick-Step) – +5:17