Bastien Tronchon gave a heartwarming interview after Vuelta sprint win and claims he's in love with Spanish... asphalt!

Anyone who looked at the start list ahead of the 2026 Vuelta a España knew one thing for sure: Groupama-FDJ United wasn’t going to win a stage under normal circumstances. The team fielded a predominantly French lineup after achieving virtually nothing in the Tour de France. But with a stunning upset in Stage 10, Groupama-FDJ United struck back with Bastien Tronchon, leaving everyone speechless.

The tenth stage ended, as expected, in an uphill sprint, and after Visma | Lease a Bike had done all the hard work, all eyes turned to Wout van Aert. He sprinted along with the pack but finished fourth. At that moment, Tronchon already had his hands pressed against his helmet in disbelief, not knowing what he had just pulled off. Winning a stage in the Vuelta—even he hadn’t seen that coming.

"I started my sprint, and when I reached the finish line, I wasn't sure if there were still riders ahead of me or not. That's why I didn't raise my hands," said Tronchon, who burst into tears for several minutes when he realised he had won. “This is crazy; I can’t believe it,” he stammered later during the flash interview as well.

That surprise wasn’t without reason. “The past two days have been really tough for me,” he said, explaining his finish outside the top 100 in Stage 9, given that Tronchon is normally a pretty good climber. Apparently, something was also going on during the rest day. “But today I was ready. I told the guys, 'Go until you drop!’ And I made it.”

It was a tremendous feat, and Tronchon was the first to admit it. “I didn’t expect this, because my preparation was a bit unusual and not like other years. I hadn’t been feeling very well these past few weeks, but I told myself I had to trust the process and that we’d see how it went. When we got started in Monaco, I just got out there and drove, because the work had been done.”

That proved to be enough for some incredible legs on day ten. After a victory in the Tour of Burgos in 2022 (when he was still a trainee with AG2R) and last year’s win in Tro-Bro Léon, this is only the third victory for the 24-year-old Tronchon. “Spain really suits me. The roads here are fantastic, and while my back usually starts bothering me pretty quickly, I can really enjoy myself here. The pavement is so good—and then I just win here like that!”