Vuelta Stage 10: Kristian Sbaragli wins for MTN-Qhubeka

Kristian Sbaragli of MTN-Qhubeka has won Stage 10 of the Vuelta in Castellon, the biggest win to date of the Italian rider’s career.

The 25-year-old, who is in his fourth season at the South Africa-based UCI Professional Continental outfit, beat Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix winner John Degenkolb of Giant-Alpecin to win the 146.6km stage from Valencia.

Jose Joaquin Rojas of Movistar was third, while Giant-Shimano’s Tom Dumoulin retains the race leader’s red jersey going into tomorrow’s first rest day in Andorra of the 70th edition of the Spanish Grand Tour.

The stage was raced at a fast pace with a number of attacks and counter-attacks but the peloton was together ahead of the day’s final Category 2 climb, crested 17 kilometres from the finish.

Kenny Elissonde of FDJ.fr, BMC Racing’s Alessandro De Marchi and Romain Sicard of Europcar were alone in front coming over the top of that ascent, but were brought back ahead of the finale.

Sbaragli’s victory is MTN-Qhubeka’s second stage win in a Grand Tour following Steve Cummings’ triumph on Stage 14 of the Tour de France last month.