An intense day at La Vuelta
On August 27, Belgian cyclist Wout Van Aert, a member of Team Visma-Lease a Bike, conquered the tenth stage of La Vuelta 2024. This stage, which covered 160 kilometers between Ponteareas and Bayonne, was marked by a fast pace and intense competition.
O’Connor maintains his position as leader
Despite Van Aert’s victory, Australia’s Ben O’Connor, who competes with the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale Team, remained the overall leader, showing remarkable strength throughout the race.
The strategy of the stage
The stage started with a breakaway that struggled to establish, but as the race progressed, Van Aert showed his class at the penultimate gate, Alt de Màbia, where he launched a decisive attack. With him, the Frenchman Quentin Pacher tried to keep up with him, but Van Aert showed his superiority in the sprint.
The key moment: Van Aert’s attack
At Alt de Fonfría, Van Aert broke away along with Marc Soler and William Junior Lecerf, creating a group that quickly increased its distance from the peloton. His advance was strengthened by successive attacks from runners such as Quentin Pacher and Juri Hollmann, who helped consolidate the breakaway.
The outcome of the stage
On the descent from Alt de Mourás, the duo of Van Aert and Pacher established a difference of more than a minute and a half, allowing them to compete in a final sprint. Victory was clear for Van Aert, who showed his strength and speed, beating a Pacher who was aware that his options were limited.
Looking to the future
With this victory, Van Aert adds his third victory in La Vuelta and strengthens his leadership in the regularity classification. The competition is getting more and more intense as the final phase of the race approaches, and all eyes will be on O’Connor and Van Aert in the coming stages.
