Wout Van Aert loses sprint chance but keeps Vuelta green

Wout Van Aert remains in the Vuelta 2026 points lead, but another opportunity for a stage win disappeared in the closing metres of stage 10. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider said he no longer had enough strength to contest the finish after being left without a teammate near the end.

Van Aert placed fourth behind Bastien Tronchon, who won the stage. It was Van Aert’s fourth top-10 finish of this Vuelta, though he is still searching for his first victory. He kept the green jersey and holds a 67-point advantage over Alessandro Romele.

The Belgian’s team had made him its main option for the finish and spent much of the day managing the race for a mass sprint. The final 30 kilometres were marked by repeated uphill sections and a steadily rising road, making the approach demanding. Van Aert said the team’s plan had worked, but the effort required to bring the race together left him isolated in the final kilometre.

He was still feeling strong earlier in the run-in, then faded sharply with 150 metres remaining. His legs tightened completely in the final stretch, leaving no realistic chance to launch a sprint. Teammate Matthew Brennan, already a two-stage winner on this Vuelta, remains an alternative for similar finishes as the team continues to share its opportunities.