Bastien Tronchon Wins Vuelta Stage 10 in Photo Finish

Bastien Tronchon delivered a surprise victory on stage 10 of the Vuelta a Espana, winning a photo finish after a tense sprint in Elche de la Sierra. BBC Sport reported that the French Groupama-FDJ United rider held off Magnus Cort and Thibau Nys, while Wout van Aert finished fourth after being edged out of the podium places.

Watch the highlights:

The 184.7-kilometre stage began in Alcaraz and ended with a rapidly changing final kilometre. Yevgeni Fedorov of XDS Astana and Pinarello-Q36.5 rider Xabier Azparren attacked late and opened a small gap over the peloton, creating the possibility that the sprinters had left their chase too late.

The pair were caught just before the finish, allowing Tronchon to time his acceleration through the closing metres. He crossed the line in four hours, seven minutes and 41 seconds, with the first 10 riders all credited with the same time. Cort took second for Uno-X Mobility and Lidl-Trek's Nys was third, followed by Van Aert and Alessandro Romele.

Tronchon did not immediately celebrate because he was unsure whether any breakaway rider remained ahead, according to the BBC report. After the result was confirmed, he described the victory as difficult to believe and credited teammate Guillaume Martin for committing fully to the lead-out after Tronchon had endured two hard days.

The stage did not alter the top of the general classification. Movistar's Enric Mas retained the red jersey with an overall time of 32 hours, 41 minutes and 44 seconds. Primoz Roglic remained second, one minute and 18 seconds behind, while Felix Gall held third at one minute and 39 seconds. Oscar Onley occupied fourth place, with Richard Carapaz fifth.

The race continues Wednesday with stage 11, a 153.8-kilometre route from Cartagena to Lorca. BBC Sport reported that the largely flat profile should again offer an opportunity for the sprinters, although the route includes the category-three climb of Morron de Totana. Tronchon's win leaves Groupama-FDJ United with a stage victory secured as the Vuelta moves into its next phase.