Published on : 08/23/2026
The first road stage of La Vuelta took the riders from Monaco to Manosque this Sunday over 214 kilometres, making it the longest stage of this edition. After an action-packed finale featuring several attacks, Bryan Coquard took 15th place.
An animated finale in Manosque
Four riders went clear early in the day on the roads towards Provence. Behind, the peloton kept the breakaway under control before eventually bringing it back with around 30 kilometres to go.
Bryan Coquard also picked up 15 points towards the points classification during the stage. Sergio Samitier was involved in a crash but fortunately escaped without any serious injuries.
As the race appeared to be heading towards a bunch sprint in Manosque, several attacks animated the final two kilometres. In a disrupted finale, Bryan Coquard eventually crossed the line in 15th place, at a finish where he had won in 2022 at the Tour de La Provence.
Reaction:
Gorka Gerrikagoitia, Sports Director
“It was a long stage of 215 kilometres, a tough one with almost 3,000 metres of climbing. We started the day with the aim of contesting the sprint with Bryan Coquard. A four-rider breakaway went clear right from the start and was controlled notably by Visma-Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek. Alexis Renard did a good job positioning Bryan before the finale. In the end, it came down to a sprint and Bryan finished 15th. It’s not the result we were hoping for; we were aiming for much better today. But this was only the first battle and there are still 19 stages left in this Vuelta.”