As it happened: Breakaway wins again at the Vuelta a España on stage 10 in Galicia

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Hilly 160km stage from Ponteareas to Baiona takes in four categorised climbs in Spain's northwest

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Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 10 of the 2024 Vuelta a España!

Racing is back at the Vuelta after the first rest day and a chaotic, thrilling and blazing hot first week. After a near 1000km transfer up from Granada on the south coast to the northwest of the country in Galicia, the temperatures have mercifully dropped but the racing should be no less exciting. 

It's a tough stage to get things going again from Ponteareas to Baiona over 160km on uphill roads with a great chance for the breakaway to get away on the Alto de Fonfría, a 15.4km climb that averages 4.2% gradient, which arrives in the opening 30km of racing. 

Here's the profile of stage 10, with four categorised climbs lining the route and offering up the potential for a strong break or hopeful GC rider to make it in and make a difference. 

Riders are completing sign-ons in Ponteareas ahead of the neutralised roll out which is scheduled for 13:30 local time in Spain, ahead of the flag drop and official start at 13:42.

There are two non-starters known so far in Kobe Goossens (Intermarché-Wanty) and Harold Martín López (Astana Qazaqstan), with the former struggling from a crash on stage 6 and illness and the latter testing positive for COVID-19.

Reminder that Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) leads the Vuelta heading into the second week by 3:53 over three-time winner Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Read what he had to say on yesterday's rest day below:

The DNS list grows as covid continues to work its way through the Vuelta peloton with Laurens De Plus pulling out for the Ineos Grenadiers.

Make sure to read expert Philippa York's analysis of the first week of racing at the Vuelta:

Here's how the GC standings currently sit after a thrilling ninth stage into Granada won solo by Adam Yates from the break, who moved up 20 places to seventh, with Richard Carapaz also making a big move up to third overall thanks to his long-range attack out of the GC group.

Catch up with how Yates took his stunning first win at the Vuelta below:

15 minutes away from what should be an explosive start and big fight to get into the breakaway with the climbing arriving almost straight from the flag. 

Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) looking sharp at the start in Ponteareas. He's sat fifth on GC heading into stage 10, 5:17 off the lead of O'Connor.

Race leader Ben O'Connor arrives for the second week and stage 10 of the Vuelta looking resplendent in the red jersey. Can he hold onto it and take an historic victory? Today will be the first challenge with a tricky day to control and the potential for someone on GC very strong to get into the breakaway.

Stage 10 start

Lots of riders are right up alongside the race director's car ready for the flag to drop. Should be fireworks right from the go here in Galicia. 

160KM TO GO

Flag waved and it's time to go racing! UAE Team Emirates kick things off with an attack through Jay Vine and the rest of those wanting to get going early follow.

After that first move was marked, UAE are showing clear intentions with another move through Brandon McNulty. After their success with Yates on stage 9 and losing key GC rider João Almeida, they are clearly sticking to this aggressive stage-hunting plan. 

Big group of riders trying to bridge across to McNulty and form a strong group in front before the first climb of the day - the Alto de Fonfría.

First few attacks are cancelled out by lots of interest behind. Next waves coming each and every time someone is brought back. UAE still looking very focused on being represented. 

Green jersey Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) is now close to the front as the next move tries to pull away. 

150km to go

Van Aert launches another move with two riders joining him - Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan) and Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). They have eked out a small advantage ahead of the foot of the climb. 

The riders are now onto the Alto de Fonfría (15.3 km at 4.3%) climb and the Van Aert group has been reabsorbed with things all back together. Quickly the next wave of attacks have been launched. 

Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) is off the back of the peloton and struggling already. He was left confused at his lack of form after dropping out of GC on stage 7 to Cordoba.

Marc Soler getting involved now for UAE Team Emirates as the action heats up on the lower slopes of this first climb. Ineos Grenadiers also getting into the latest small move through Oscar Rodriguez. 

Wout van Aert makes another small burst and swings off after not getting much separation. Reminder that he's one of the four jersey wearers in green alongside Adam Yates in polka-dots as the King of the Mountains, Ben O'Connor in red as the race leader and Florian Lipowitz in white as the best young rider. 

Lots of the bigger riders are being spat out the back already with the pace at the front staying extremely high on this climb. 

Eddie Dunbar (Jayco AlUla) launches the next move on a steeper portion of the climb, after the Australian team have looked to attack this climb. 9.3km to the crest. 

140km to go

A new group gets a small advantage with the likes of Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal-QuickStep) and Dunbar making it in. It looks like six riders who've made it in so far but the attacks behind are still coming. 

It was actually a group of nine, Vansevenant, Dunbar, Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Dstny), Stefan Küng (Groupam_FDJ), Einer RUbio (Movistar), Cristián Rodríguez (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Mikel Bizkarra (Euskaltel-Euskadi), that had got away but it was only short-lived. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe got on the front and pulled them back.

With that big group back in, Soler attacks again for UAE with Van Aert following him. Just 2km to the summit of this first climb now. 

It's a group of three in front as the riders approach the KOM point, Soler, Van Aert and young talent William Junior Lecerf (Soudal-QuickStep), however, their gap is still very minimal. 

130km to go

A look inside the furious fight for the breakaway which still isn't over either on stage 10.

Van Aert, Soler and Lecerf have descended well and edged their advantage out to 21 seconds on the peloton behind. Lots of riders behind still attacking and upping the pace to ensure the breakaway formation continues. 

The race is onto a tough part of the course now, however, with 50km of flatter and undulating roads separating them from the next categorised climb where the climbers and puncheurs can make the difference.

120km to go

Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) and Juri Hollman (Alpecin-Deceuninck) have launched a duo move off the front of the charging peloton to try and bridge to the Van Aert trio. They are working well and now sit just eight seconds back, but the peloton is still not slowing down.

Contact made by Pacher and Hollmann to make it five riders in front alongside Soler, Van Aert and Lecerf. Peloton splitting up behind as more attacks fly. 

110km to go

Here's the young Soudal-QuickStep talent Lecerf up in one of the earlier moves of the day before joining the group in front with Van Aert, Soler, Hollmann and Pacher. He's just 21 and on Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta during what is just his neo-pro season. 

After a flurry of small attacks, the five riders in front have worked well and managed to not be reeled back in. Gap still sits at 25 seconds now on the rolling terrain heading west towards Baiona.

100km to go

The Canadian champion's move has provoked more moves from behind with lots of people panicking and launching to try and get across to the break of the day. Kruijswijk for Visma and Verona for Trek among those trying to get away. 

That move from Woods has completely restarted the action in the peloton behind. Splits all over the place with the pace extremely high. 

Gap to the Van Aert group of five in front is out to 36 seconds as the undulating roads continue on. Still more attacks fly but no concerted effort to chase is being mounted yet. 

90km to go

Here's Van Aert at the start of stage 10, preparing for another day of attacking in the break with barely any chances remaining for the sprinters at this year's Vuelta. The five-man group in front now sits at 1:12 from the peloton and appears to be formed. 

80km to go

Huge 4:00 gap for the breakaway now as they head towards the second climb of the day, the Alto de Vilachán (6km at 5.3%).

Full Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale train at the head of the peloton to calm things down again now before the finale, where things could well kick off again from the GC group even with the break well away. 

70km to go

With De Marchi giving up his futile effort to chase across solo, it's just the five man move up the road:

If you're wondering why the break have been allowed such a big lead, it's because the closest on GC to Ben O'Connor's lead is Pacher, who started the day 34 minutes behind the Australian. 

A look back at the moment Van Aert and Soler attacked to form the breakaway of the day, with Lecerf following closely behind. 

60km to go

Gap at a new high of 6:20 from the peloton to the break, with a huge chance for the winner to come from the five in front. 

Here's what much of the day has looked like for Ben O'Connor after the break successfully got away. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale working well to keep the race leader safe in red. 

Just under 2km to the summit of the climb and still all together in the breakaway. They are on the easiest of the three final climbs, with the difficulty upping from category 3 to 2 and finally 1 up the Alto de Mougás in the run for home. 

Lecerf took the 3 KOM points on offer at the crest but there wasn't much of a fight for them by anyone in the breakaway. The five in front now start the descent with a 6:30 lead.

50km to go

Onto the lower slopes of the Alto de Mabia now with Pacher leading the breakaway. They look set to fight for the stage win, but their gap to the peloton has gone down slightly to 5:27 over the past few kilometres. 

New team at the front of the peloton as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe begin to show themselves in aid of Primož Roglič. We are onto 12% gradients here and O'Connor is swiftly losing teammates.

This pace is infernal from the German side who are still looking to make up a 3:53 gap to O'Connor in these final two weeks. Isolating him is the first step but he's being kept in great position for now by Valentin Paret-Peintre. 

Breakaway still together with 2.5km to go until they reach the summit of the Alto de Mabia. The peloton has calmed down slightly with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe no longer kicking on as they were. 

After losing a lot of time on stage 9, Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Dstny) is struggling again and already sat at the back of the peloton. Not looking good for the young Belgian GC talent with 42km to ride. 

Giulio Ciccone has been forced to leave the Vuelta after his bizarre crash involving some deer on stage 8, which is a big loss for Lidl-Trek.

40km to go

Van Aert won the KOM sprint up Alto de Mabia and will now look to take the maximum points at the A Barroca intermediate sprint, where he shouldn't be contested and should extend his lead in the green jersey competition over Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

After their short burst on the last climb to remove some of O'Connor's teammates, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will probably look to try something on the next climb, the hardest one of the day. 

30km to go

Pacher has made it across to Van Aert, with Soler, Lecerf and Hollmann all chasing further down the road and the foot of the climb approaching. 

Pacher and Van Aert are working nicely and have extended their lead to 20 seconds. But the Alto de Mougás (9.9 km at 6%) is the toughest climb of the day and has than enough terrain to make the difference before the downhill run for home. 

Hollmann drops from the breakaway, leaving just the duo of Soler and Lecerf to chase Van Aert and Pacher who are 30 seconds up the climb now. 

Pacher is clearly happy to work with Van Aert in the front group but knows he will need to be rid of him by the finish if he is to take the stage win. Lecerf isn't working with Soler behind him after being told not to.

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale have assumed control in the peloton behind for O'Connor, with no one yet making any moves to challenge the race leader. 

25km to go

Lecerf has now come through to take a turn with Soler, as EF Education EasyPost move to the front of the peloton behind for Richard Carapaz. 

Carapaz has Cepeda doing the pacing on the front and this is putting a lot of riders off the back in the group of favourites. 

Lecerf has attacked and left Soler behind with just over 3km to the summit of the climb.

Here's Van Aert and Pacher at the head of stage 10. They lead by 30 seconds from Lecerf who is now chasing on his own. Peloton still 4:34 down. 

O'Connor shows his strength and rolls through to the front in the red jersey, letting every one behind him know that he is by no means struggling on this long climb.

Soler has rejoined Lecerf but they are only going backwards in their pursuit of the leading duo - now 32 seconds down.

20km to go

Van Aert takes the KOM sprint up the final climb and moves level with Adam Yates on 22 points, all of which he has gained today. He and Pacher are now on the final descent to the line in Baiona. 

Meanwhile, in the peloton it's no stress for O'Connor and his teammates as the climb is nearly complete and the terrain is no longer hard enough to trouble him. The peloton should ride safely together to the line in Baiona now. 

Quentin Pacher has never won a pro bike race. The closest he came to a big one was at the Vuelta in 2022 when he lost out only to Rigoberto Urán up to Monasterio de Tentudía. But it will be quite the tall order to win today in a sprint-a-deux up against Wout van Aert. He'll need a miracle.

10km to go

Here's the two men set to battle for the victory in a sprint: Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike). 

5km to go

Equal work between the two men in the break as they approach the finale. Soler and Lecerf are well behind at 1:45 with the now calm peloton at 5:18.

Euskaltel-Euskadi have randomly attacked back in the peloton on one of the kickers. Slight waste of energy there but nonetheless always nice to see the orange jerseys on show. 

Pachers goes! He had to try something and it was a short burst with 1.6km to go. Van Aert immediately shut him down and this stage is only going one way, but chapeau for trying.

1km to go

Pacher is leading this one out with his fate almost certainly sealed. 

Van Aert goes and there is nothing Pacher can do, simply dropping his head and accepting defeat behind the superior rider. 

Stage finish

Soler takes third after Hollmann made his way back into the chasing group on the descent. The German takes fifth in the end with Lecerf also beating him to the line in Baiona. 

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) crosses the line in Baiona for his third stage win at this year's Vuelta and his 12th at Grand Tour level adding to nine from the Tour de France.  

Here's what second Pacher had to say after only losing out to Van Aert on stage 10:

And here's Van Aert's post-stage win words after netting a strong win from the breakaway at the Vuelta:

Here's how the GC standings look after stage 10, with no changes in the top 10. Ben O'Connor maintains his lead just under halfway through the 2024 Vuelta, with 11 stages to ride.

Make sure to read our full stage report from stage 10 of the Vuelta a España:

Big smile for Ben O'Connor as he keeps his lead heading into stage 11. There was no change in the top 10 overall:

Here's a look at the profile of tomorrow's stage from Campus Tecnológico Cortizo Padron to Campus Tecnológico Cortizo Padron, with 166.4km of hilly terrain offering up another chance for the breakaway. 

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