The tenth stage of the Spanish stage race had already been highlighted as one with opportunities for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. The team immediately took control at the front of the peloton. Steven Kruijswijk, among others, kept the seven breakaway riders at a safe distance throughout the afternoon. Deep into the finale, the attackers were reeled in after strong work from Matthew Brennan and Sepp Kuss. Nevertheless, a chaotic situation ensued in the peloton with attacks going back and forth.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike meanwhile set its sights on Van Aert in the streets of Elche de la Sierra. The 31-year-old wearer of the green jersey found himself somewhat isolated and eventually sprinted to fourth place behind winner Tronchon. “Normally, a sprint after a tough race suits me well. It’s a shame I lost my good position in the final kilometer. With around 500 meters to go, I already had to make a big effort. As a result, I came up short in the sprint”, Van Aert says afterwards.

The Belgian continues: “Of course I’m disappointed with the result; we were going all out for the win today. I’m very proud of the work the team put in. We used the whole team to make it a sprint, but unfortunately I couldn’t finish it off. As a team, we have to keep going like this, because I’m convinced there are still many great things to come.”