Matthew BRENNAN. 10 with honors. Simply unstoppable, the young British sprinter. He does what he wants, how he wants, and his Visma Lease a Bike team enjoys playing the role of UAE. Do they have the chance to win? They win, without any worries, without any problems. This is cycling at its finest, and when the opportunity comes, you seize it without hesitation, without overthinking or unnecessary complications. Fifth personal victory for this British lad, the 12th of the season, the 24th of his career. Important numbers that tell us this guy has what it takes. It's a shame there aren't other sprinters here—they chose different programs because their teams deemed this Vuelta unappealing for fast men. So far we've had seven sprint finishes, not bad for a race that doesn't cater to jet-powered riders. Perhaps someone should learn to evaluate the parcours better. Perhaps.

Jordi MEEUS. 8. The German tries again, but against this Brennan there's little to do except stay in his wheel, get close, and maybe one day even draw alongside him. Today he has to settle for another 2nd place in this Vuelta, following the one he got at Terres de l'Ebre (stage 5).

Magnus CORT. 7. The experienced Dane throws himself back into the fray and comes out of it reasonably well.

Alessandro ROMELE. 8. As a debutant, he's gaining plenty of experience and top placings. Today he takes home another one, his sixth in this Vuelta, though I also consider his 11th place in the opening time trial in Monaco to be excellent. In short, a race of great substance, with enviable consistency. Well done!

Pau MIQUEL. 5.5. He tries again, but loses ground.

Brian COQUARD. 5.5. He's there, but today the Frenchman lacks a bit of explosive power.

Enzo PALENI. 8. The 24-year-old Frenchman from Groupama-FDJ United attacks from kilometer 0 and takes Sinuhé Fernandez (Burgos Burpellet BH) with him: the two essentially spend the entire race in a breakaway. They're the ones who keep us partially awake. They're the ones who make this stage less tedious than it could be. The combativity award goes to Enzo Paleni, who is caught just 3 km from the finish line after 182 kilometers of breakaway. A well-deserved award.