Vuelta a España stage 10: Primož Roglič takes the win with late charge, leads overall

Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) surged to the Vuelta a España stage 10 win, gapping a group from a well-timed attack launched at 150 meters out.

Riding an uphill attack initiated by Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), the green jersey rocketed to the stage win, dropping sprinters and climbers alike.

“Super happy, never easy to win. I had legs — this doesn’t change much we have to keep momentum and day by day,” Roglič said.

With the time bonus for the stage win, the defending Vuelta champion takes back the overall lead from Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers).

How stage 10 unfolded

Jonathan Lastra (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Soudal), Alex Molenaar (Burgos_BH) and Pim Ligthart (Total Direct Énergie) were of the front from the beginning and had established an 8:00 maximum gap before the peloton lead by Deceuninck-Quick-Step started to turn the screws with thoughts of getting Sam Bennett in place for a stage win.

The “Wolf Pack” brought this gap to 4:30 by 65km to go, with the assistance of Astana and Mitchelton-Scott.

Van Moer took the maximum points at the intermediate sprint at 49km to go as the group charged into the final hour of racing for the day.

The four traded attacks over the next 10km or so, but nothing stuck as the peloton continued to reduce their lead, and by 27km to go, there was just a 57-second gap.

The chasers continued at the fast-closing pace, finally absorbing the break at 16km to go with Lotto-Soudal on the front.

Attacks were attempted, with Willie Smit (Burgos-BH) having a go at 12km out, while Roglič was pulled to the front by teammate Robert Gesink.

Rémi Cavagna (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) and Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) brought back Smit, and then continued to press on once they made contact.

Luis León Sánchez (Astana) went after these two, seeing Cavagna as a threat, while Dylan van Baarle and Andrey Amador (Ineos Grenadiers) escorted Carapaz to the front of the bunch.

Cavagna gapped Oliveira on a small rise at 5km to go, but he too was caught just outside of 3km to go, as Ineos Grenadiers heated things up.

Gesink was still shepherding Roglič just outside of 2km to go, through a handful of 90-degree turns as the route started to pitch up.

Into the final half-kilometer, Guillaume Martin in the polka dot jersey made a dedicated attack, getting several bike lengths on the red jersey of Richard Carapaz.

Martin looked to be riding away for the stage win until the green jersey on the shoulders of Roglič was seen streaking towards the line.

Roglič blew by a fading Martin, while Felix Großschartner (Bora-Hansgrohe) managed to hold on for second.

With a three-second gap to Carapaz — who could not sustain pace at the front in the final 100m — and a 10-second time bonus for the stage win, Roglič assumes the overall lead as he had more stage wins.

Roglič’s teammate George Bennett commented following the stage, “Now we are talking about seconds but everyone who knows the Angliru: If you are having a bad day you’re talking about minutes.”