VUELTA’26 STAGE 10: Bastien Tronchon pulled off the biggest win of his career in Elche de la Sierra, beating some of the fastest—and most fancied—men in the race. The 24-year-old Frenchman survived a wildly aggressive finale, kept his cool as attacks flew in every direction, then blasted past Magnus Cort, Thibau Nys and Wout van Aert to take a surprise Stage 10 victory.
After Monday’s first rest day, the 2026 Vuelta a España returned with one of those stages that looked manageable on paper—but promised something much harder on the road. The 184.7-kilometre run from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra packed in almost 3,000 metres of climbing. None of the ascents was especially savage, but there was barely a flat road all day.
It looked like a stage for the tougher sprinters. It might suit a breakaway. It could tempt the attackers. In the end, we got a bit of everything.
Seven Riders Take Their Chance
It took some time for the day’s break to form, but six riders eventually escaped: Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ United), Michael Gogl (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco-AlUla), Fabian Weiss (Tudor), Sinuhé Fernández (Burgos Burpellet BH) and Iván Cobo (Kern Pharma).
Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility) then launched a solo chase, bridged across and turned the six-man move into a seven-rider break.
The peloton was willing to let them hang out front—but not disappear. Their advantage climbed to around three minutes, but never much more. With several fast men still interested in the stage, the escapees were always going to have a difficult afternoon.
Visma and Cofidis Take Control
Visma | Lease a Bike assumed much of the responsibility behind. The Dutch team had two strong options in Matthew Brennan and Wout van Aert, both capable of surviving the climbing and finishing the job in Elche de la Sierra.
Cofidis also contributed to the chase for Bryan Coquard, the surprise winner of the previous sprint stage in Xeraco.
With 80 kilometres remaining, the break’s advantage had fallen to around 90 seconds. The catch looked inevitable—but this Vuelta has rarely followed the simplest script.
As the race approached the Puerto de Socovos, the final classified climb of the day at 9.7 kilometres and 3.5%, Gogl lifted the pace at the front. Cobo, Dversnes, Paleni and Weiss stayed with him, while Sütterlin and Fernández slipped back.
Then the peloton began to explode.
Mads Pedersen Dropped as the Attacks Begin
The steady chase suddenly became a full-on battle as riders tried to get ahead of the expected sprint. Valentin Paret-Peintre, Eddie Dunbar and Will Barta were among those attempting to rewrite the script.
The pressure split the bunch and sent riders out the back, including Mads Pedersen. The Dane has yet to show his best legs at this Vuelta, and any chance of contesting the victory disappeared on the Puerto de Socovos.
For a moment, Cofidis and Visma restored some order. Then the attacks started again.
Even the general classification riders joined the action as the race approached the summit, although none of their moves managed to stick. Every attack prompted another response, turning the finale into a rolling series of accelerations, chases and regroupings.
Laporte Calms the Chaos—Briefly
Christophe Laporte went to the front for Visma and put in a massive turn for Van Aert and Brennan. His pace stretched the peloton into one long line and brought most of the remaining breakaway within reach.
Gogl and Dversnes refused to surrender and pressed on together, but the bunch was closing fast.
Dversnes proved to be the last survivor of the original escape. With seven kilometres remaining, he was joined by Iñigo Elosegui, Milan Vader and Sepp Kuss. Kuss was there primarily to disrupt the chase and protect Visma’s interests, while the others still dreamed of stealing the stage.
The peloton was almost on top of them, but nobody was yet willing to guarantee a sprint.
Walter Calzoni made one final, brave attempt to spoil the fast men’s plans. The Pinarello-Q36.5 rider opened a promising gap and buried himself trying to hold it, but the chase was moving too quickly.
Matthew Brennan shut down the move, sacrificing his own chance to set up Van Aert.
La Vuelta a Espana 2026 Stage 10 Video Hilights
Tronchon Stuns the Favourites
Van Aert entered the final sprint without the clean lead-out Visma had planned. After a day of chasing, attacking and reorganizing, there was little order left in the reduced peloton.
That suited Tronchon perfectly.
Bastien Tronchon outsprints Magnus Cort, Thibau Nys and Wout van Aert
The Frenchman stayed patient while the more celebrated names watched one another, then launched his sprint at exactly the right moment. Magnus Cort chased hard, with Thibau Nys and Van Aert also in the fight, but none could come around.
Tronchon crossed the line first for a stunning Stage 10 victory—the biggest result of his young career.
Cort took second, Nys third and Van Aert fourth after another day in which the Belgian did almost everything except win.
For Visma, it was a frustrating finish after controlling much of the stage and placing Brennan at the service of Van Aert. For Tronchon, it was the perfect combination of strong legs, smart positioning and impeccable timing.
After nearly 185 kilometres and an afternoon filled with attacks, it wasn’t one of the obvious favourites who celebrated in Elche de la Sierra. It was Bastien Tronchon—and nobody could say he hadn’t earned it.
PEZ Key Takeaway
Bastien Tronchon picked the perfect moment to produce the biggest ride of his career. Visma | Lease a Bike spent much of the day controlling the race for Matthew Brennan and Wout van Aert, but the relentless attacks stripped away their lead-out and turned the finish into a free-for-all. Tronchon stayed calm, found the right wheel and beat three much better-known finishers when it mattered.
La Vuelta a Espana 2026 Stage 10 Results
Bonus Reads:
1. Read our complete Vuelta a España 2026 preview here
2. See all the PEZ Vuelta Coverage here
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