Tronchon claims surprise Vuelta stage 10 victory in chaotic sprint

Sept 1 : Bastien Tronchon of Groupama-FDJ United snatched victory in a photo finish on stage 10 of the Vuelta a Espana on Tuesday following a 184.7 km hilly ride through southern Spain. 

The pace quickened a kilometre before the finish line as Astana's Yevgeni Fedorov broke clear alongside Xabier Azparren of Q36.5, building a brief lead over the peloton before being caught just before the finish line and allowing Frenchman Tronchon to secure a surprise victory in the final sprint.

Denmark's Magnus Cort of Uno-X Mobility took second place and Belgian Thibau Nys of Lidl-Trek finished third.

The victory marked the 24-year-old’s first Grand Tour stage win and the third of his career.

"I launched my sprint and finished on the line – I wasn’t sure if there were some guys in front. I didn’t put my hands in the air," Tronchon said. "My preparation this year wasn’t very good so I didn’t expect this. I just had to trust the process, to race and go for it."

Spain's Enric Mas of Movistar retained the overall leader's red jersey, finishing safely in 36th place in the main peloton.