MADRID, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ) won a chaotic sprint to claim the 10th stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Tuesday.
The 184.7-kilometer stage, which finished in Elche de la Sierra in southeastern Spain, took place over rolling terrain that encouraged repeated breakaway attempts before ending with a long six-kilometer drag to the finish.
No team was able to control the stage, with various riders attacking in the closing kilometers. It looked as though either Xabier Azparran (Pinarello-Q36.5) or Yevgeniy Fedorov (Astana) would take the win after they broke clear of the peloton with 1,200 meters remaining.
Azparran latched onto Fedorov's back wheel but waited too long to launch his final attack, allowing the main group to catch them in the closing meters, with Tronchon first across the line to claim only the third and by far the biggest win of his career.
The overall standings were unaffected, with Enric Mas (Movistar) retaining his one-minute, 18-second lead over four-time winner Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
Wednesday sees a flat stage between Cartagena and Lorca, which should finish in another sprint and is unlikely to affect the general classification. ■
