Santiago Buitrago completed his first day wearing the KOM jersey, retaining the classification lead after the 184.7km stage 10 from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra at La Vuelta.

Santiago Buitrago said after the stage: “We expected today to be a hard stage because it was a good day for the breakaway. In the end, only a small group went clear, and the peloton controlled behind, so we decided to put our cards on Pau. Unfortunately, after the rest day, sometimes the body doesn’t respond in the best way.

The finale was very aggressive on the final climb. We caught the breakaway, and with many riders trying to attack, we always tried to protect Jakob, keep him in the best possible position and avoid taking risks in the finale. I think we safely got through an important stage, and now it’s time to recover and think about tomorrow.”