Stage 10: Alcaraz -> Elche de la Sierra
Stage 10 of La Vuelta was expected to favour the strong sprinters, with a long uphill drag towards the finish potentially making the finale more selective. Team Picnic PostNL started the day with six riders, as Henri-François Haquin did not take the start after additional checks following his crash on stage 9.
After around 20 kilometres, a seven-rider breakaway established itself. Their advantage grew to just under three minutes, but the peloton kept the escapees under control throughout the stage. As the race approached the top of the final climb, attacks in the peloton caused several splits. The groups came back together over the summit, but the increased pace quickly brought down the gap to the breakaway. The final escapees were caught with two kilometres to go, setting up a hectic finale. A late attack disrupted the sprint, with the attacking duo only caught on the line. Tronchon took the stage win, while Gijs Leemreize was Team Picnic PostNL’s first rider across the finish.
