Published on : 08/30/2026
The day after Bryan Coquard’s victory, the Vuelta peloton faced a particularly mountainous stage on Sunday. The riders tackled 187 km and more than 5,000 metres of elevation gain before the summit finish at Alto de Aitana.
Stage 9, between La Vila Joiosa and Alto de Aitana, featured one of the toughest routes since the start of the Vuelta. Six climbs were on the menu, including the first-category El Miserat, before the long final ascent to Alto de Aitana.
The battle for the breakaway began from the opening kilometres. Five riders initially went clear before a group of ten chasers formed after the first climb. The two groups then came together to form a 15-rider breakaway.
Sylvain Moniquet tried to join the fight by making it into the chasing group, before eventually being dropped.
Reaction:
Gorka Gerrikagoitia, Sports Director:
“It was the toughest stage of this Vuelta. We wanted to be represented in the breakaway, even though we knew the victory would probably be decided between the favourites. There was a big battle from the start to make the break. Sylvain Moniquet managed to get into a chasing group, but unfortunately he didn’t have the legs today and wasn’t able to stay with the group.
From there, our goal was to get the best possible result with Emanuel Buchmann in the peloton. He gave it everything and finished 27th. Tomorrow is a rest day before we head into the second week.”