Wout van Aert Triumphs Again in Vuelta a España Stage 10

On August 27, 2024, Wout van Aert of the Visma | Lease a Bike team secured his third victory in the ongoing Vuelta a España, dominating Stage 10 of the race. Van Aert accelerated ahead during the final sprint, defeating Quentin Pacher from Groupama-FDJ, who finished second.

The stage, which took place in the scenic region of Galicia, featured several challenging climbs, with the peloton encountering four categorized climbs throughout the 160-kilometer journey. Despite van Aert’s formidable performance, overall leader Ben O’Connor from Decathlon-AG2R maintained a comfortable hold on the red jersey.

In a statement regarding the challenging ascent, Vuelta race director Fernando Escartín remarked, “Galicia welcomes La Vuelta 24 with a mountain stage.” He noted that while the climbs may not reach high altitudes, they posed significant challenges due to the lack of flat surfaces.

During the early laps of the stage, several attacks occurred as riders vied for a place in the breakaway group. Wout van Aert was notably active, attempting to break free from the peloton before the first climb, the Alto de Fonfría. After multiple attempts, he finally succeeded in joining a trio that featured Marc Soler of UAE Team Emirates and William Junior Lecerf from Soudal Quick-Step.

The breaking group managed to establish a lead of over six minutes at one point, as the remaining peloton struggled to keep pace. On the climbs of Alto de Vilachán, Alto de Mabia, and Alto de Mougás, van Aert demonstrated his resilience and competitive spirit by launching an attack that allowed him to push ahead with Pacher, leaving the others behind.

In the final kilometers, van Aert showcased his strength as he managed to maintain a lead during the final sprint towards Baiona. Although Pacher attempted to challenge him in the sprint, van Aert was simply too strong, claiming victory in a time of 3 hours, 50 minutes, and 47 seconds.

O’Connor, the overall leader, expressed satisfaction with his performance during the stage. “In the end, it was the perfect scenario. It was a really hard start,” he stated, indicating that the effort put into maintaining control of the race paid off.