Kristian Sbaragli sprinted to victory on stage 10 of the Vuelta a España ©Getty Images

Italy’s Kristian Sbaragli sprinted to victory on stage 10 of the Vuelta a España as The Netherlands' Tom Dumoulin preserved his overall lead.

Sbaragli, who rides for South African team MTN-Qhubeka, finished ahead of runner-up and pre-stage favourite John Degenkolb of Germany, completing the 146.6 kilometres stage from Valencia to Castellón de la Plana in 3 hours 12min 43sec.  

Giant-Alpecin's Degenkolb fended off the challenge of Spain’s Jose Joaquin Rojas, who took third place for Movistar.

"It's a dream come true," said Sbaragli after securing his first professional win.

Victory marked MTN-Qhubeka's second grand tour victory following British rider Steve Cummings’ triumph on stage 14 at this year's Tour de France.

"This team is a growing project," added Sbaragli.

"It's a victory not just for me and the team, but for the whole of Africa.

"I'm so happy."

Team Sky's Chris Froome is 78 seconds adrift of the red jersey
Team Sky's Chris Froome is 78 seconds adrift of the red jersey ©Getty Images

Giant-Alpecin's Dumoulin holds a 57-second lead over second-placed Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha into the event's first rest day tomorrow, with Colombian Esteban Chaves of Orica-GreenEdge a further two seconds back in third.

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche is 67 seconds off the pace in fourth, while his Team Sky colleague Chris Froome, the reigning Tour de France champion, is 78 seconds adrift of the red jersey.

The Vuelta a España is due to continue on Wednesday (September 2) with a 138km mountain stage from Andorra la Vella to Cortals d'Encamp, which features six categorised climbs.

Meanwhile, Belgium's Kris Boeckmans is expected to wake up from an induced coma within the next two days after scans showed the Lotto-Soudal rider did not suffer brain injuries in a crash during Saturday's (August 29) eighth stage.  

The accident happened with approximately 50km remaining, forcing five riders to pull out of the race. 


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