The tenth stage of the Tour de France unfolded with a bold breakaway and a sprint finish that put a new name in the spotlight. Pello Bilbao, riding for Bahrain Victorius, seized the day after slipping into a decisive split near the front and proving the fastest across the final dash to the line. The Biscayan rider’s victory marked a welcome change in a race famous for its drama and occasional misfortune for national squads, notably Spain, which had waited years to celebrate a homegrown triumph in the gala event. The win echoed a broader sense of reconciliation for a country that had not celebrated a Tour stage win in several seasons, a drought finally broken on this 168-kilometer course from Vulcania to Issoire.
Bilbao’s triumph also helped reset Spain’s fortunes in the general landscape, returning a stage victory to the country after a long stretch without such a result since Omar Fraile’s triumph in 2018. In the overall standings, Bilbao sits within reach of the top five, positioned in fifth place as the race moves deeper into its grueling mountain and sprint phases.
Following a rest day, riders faced a day designed to test legs and nerves alike. The peloton opened with rapid attacks as soon as the flag dropped, a classic setup for a breakaway that would endure. The early tempo favored a large group working together to shed the main contenders from the pack. Belgium’s Wout Van Aert, riding for Jumbo-Visma, was the most active in the early moves, testing the field repeatedly but without gaining a sustainable advantage as the big teams kept a firm hold on the pace.
As the kilometres rolled by and the pace intensified, a select group of mudded favorites regrouped and pursued a strategic finale. Ten kilometers into the stage, Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates and Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma pushed their teams to the front to assemble a strong break within the break, a bloc of roughly 30 riders that included Jai Hindley of Bora-Hansgrohe and Carlos Rodríguez of Ineos Grenadiers. The attempts of the third and fourth riders in the overall, while ambitious, did not manage to slip clear in the moment, leaving their respective teams to steer the collective effort.
The pace dissipated some strength in the main peloton, knocking several rivals from contention. David Gaudu of Groupama-FDJ and Romain Bardet of Team DSM found themselves unable to follow the rapid tempo as the group tightened and the chase began to reconstruct a more cohesive unit. Yet tenacity kept the attack alive.
A compact seven-man group, including Bilbao, Mathias Skjelmose Jensen of Lidl-Trek, and Kasper Asgreen of Soudal Quick-Step, managed to bridge the gap to the leaders. Other riders such as Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step and Antonio Pedrero of Movistar joined the initiative, creating a genuine contest within the main field. The resulting advantage hovered around three minutes, giving the escapees room to breathe and the chase teams a window to reset their plans.
Inside that audacious trio of minutes, the chase from the main roster pressed on. Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Fenix chased in vain for a long time, their late surge failing to realign with the leading group. The dynamic proved decisive: the day’s victory points and the stage win drifted into the breakaway’s hands as the field reeled in the late bidders.
The stage ultimately crowned a new chapter in the race’s narrative, underscoring the unpredictable nature of grand tours where bold moves can rewrite the script in a single afternoon. The day’s hero, Pello Bilbao, demonstrated the value of timing, resilience, and the courage to seize a moment when the pack hesitated. The performance added a bright thread to Spain’s recent record in the Tour, highlighting the ongoing strength and depth of the country’s cycling talent. [Source: official Tour de France results]
General classification after the stage
1 Jonas Vingegaard Rasmussen TJV 42:33:13
2 Tadej Pogačar UAD +0:17
3 Jai Hindley NOH +0:02:40
4 Carlos Rodríguez IGD +0:04:22
5 Pello Bilbao López de Armentia TBV +0:04:34
6 Adam Yates IAD +0:04:39
7 Simon Yates JAY +0:04:44
8 Thomas Pidcock IGD +0:05:26
9 David Gaudu GFC +0:06:01
10 Sepp Kuss TJV +0:06:45
11 Romain Bardet DSM +0:06:58
12 Louis Meintjes ICW +0:08:50
13 Emanuel Buchmann BOH +0:09:09
14 Mikel Landa Meana TBV +0:09:09
15 Thibaut Pinot GFC +0:09:36
16 Felix Gall ACT +0:09:46
17 Ben O’Connor ACT +0:11:07
18 Guillaume Martin COF +0:11:12
19 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas IGD +0:16:05
20 Valentin Madouas GFC +0:18:56