The 173.3 km stage brought the race onto Spanish roads for the first time in this year’s Vuelta and immediately delivered tension, with wind and the threat of crosswinds shaping the opening half of the day. An early breakaway broke free with Vuelta debutant Walter Calzoni, but the peloton remained alert as the race approached the exposed crosswind sections. Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team stayed present throughout the stage, and late in the race Xabier Mikel Azparren seized an opportunity and attacked. Azparren’s move was brought back as other teams committed fully to the sprint, where Matthew Brennan took the stage victory. David González delivered a strong finish to secure ninth place, underlining the team’s ambition and active approach throughout the day.

"It was kind of a stressful day because of the wind and crosswinds sections. In the beginning there wasn’t much fight for the breakaway because no one wanted to spend energy before this part of the race. The break went quite fast with Calzoni, initially five guys, and they came back just before the crosswind section. 

In the last part of the race, it was hilly again and the last climb was steep and narrow. UAE turned up the tempo, and we saw sprinters like Kaden Groves and Mads Pedersen get dropped. That was good for us, but there were still around 80 riders in the front, so from there we committed to sprint with González. In the final, the plan was to support him.

Azparren also saw an opportunity, and that is something we had already spoken about a few days ago: if there was an opportunity, just go for it. He tried, but Visma committed to Brennan and it was difficult to make it to the finish. In the end, we were part of the race the whole day. We are satisfied." 

- Alex Sans Vega, Sports Director

Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team continues with the same clear objective: to race ambitiously, stay visible and take every opportunity to fight for results.

Equipment list for David González:

• Pinarello Dogma F
• Q36.5 Dottore Clima Skin Suit
• Q36.5 Aero gloves
• Q36.5 Aero socks
• Q36.5 Unique Pro 4.0 Road shoes
• Abus Gamechanger
• REACT ERVO
• Zipp 454 nsw
• Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed
• 54 41 double chainring / back: 10 36