A day full of surprises: After Wærenskjold and Claes, an unknown rider outsprints leader Gee in O Gran Camiño

After two stages that ended in a sprint, Friday’s time trial was a battle for the general classification contenders. Derek Gee delivered a dominant performance in the tough time trial, pacing himself perfectly to take the stage win and claim the leader's jersey. The Canadian from Israel-Premier Tech dethroned Magnus Cort, who put up a valiant fight but ultimately had to surrender the overall lead after securing two stage wins earlier in the race.

Saturday brought the queen stage, featuring a punishing finale on the Alto do Cebreiro. The opening section of the race was relatively flat, but the terrain quickly became relentlessly hilly. This made it difficult for a breakaway to form early on, and it wasn’t until 90 kilometers from the finish that the first serious attack came. Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility) launched an offensive, posing a significant threat to leader Gee as he sat in tenth place in the general classification.

Dversnes found a welcome companion in Unai Esparza (Illes Balears Arabay), and together they built a lead of over two minutes on the peloton. However, when the Alto Fonte da Saúde climb began with 62 kilometers to go, several riders managed to bridge across from the main group. Israel-Premier Tech allowed Ander Okamika (Burgos Burpellet BH), Asier Pablo Gonzalez (Illes Balears Arabay), Pedro Silva (Anicolor / Tien 21), and Matteo Scalco (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) to join the breakaway.

The peloton remained within striking distance, keeping things under control as the race approached the Alto Catroventos with 40 kilometers remaining. More attacks came from the peloton, while the lead group also began to shed riders. Suddenly, Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal-Quick Step) and Johannes Kulset (Uno-X) emerged at the front, but their lead remained small heading into the Alto a Pitinidoira.

Israel-Premier Tech played their cards perfectly, and once Gee’s teammates had done their job, the Canadian leader made his move on the Alto Catroventos. The overall leader proved to be the strongest rider in the race, with only Burgos-BH’s Sergio Geovani Chumil able to hold his wheel. As they approached the final climb of the day—the Alto do Cebreiro—Jefferson Cepeda (Movistar) and Davide Piganzoli (Polti) tried to close the gap but ultimately fell short.

The only remaining question: Would Gee allow his breakaway companion to take the stage win, or would he go for his second victory? The answer was the latter, as the Canadian launched a fierce sprint. He tried to outmaneuver Chumil by taking the inside line, but in the end, the unknown Guatemalan rider had just a little more speed, sealing an unexpected and stunning victory.