Results Vuelta a Andalucia 2026 | Tom Pidcock wins final stage with explosive uphill attack; Iván Romeo defends overall classification

Stage 5 of the Vuelta a Andalucia was the only one that had a tough finale where the main GC contenders could make the difference, and it was used by Tom Pidcock. The Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team rider has taken the first win of his season in Llucena; whilst Spanish national champion Iván Romeo secured the victory in the race.

Markus Hoelgaard, Milan Vader and Julius Johansen have formed the day's breakaway, but the three-rider group wasn't able to threaten the stage much as the peloton had plenty firepower and interests for the stage win and the overall classification.

The group was caught with 27 kilometers to go, and in the first ascent of the Alto de la Primera Cruz (2.8Km; 5.9%) Alex Aranburu went on to get 3 seconds of bonification. The following kilometers saw plenty attacks, with the likes of Tim Wellens, Andreas Leknessund and Victor Campenaerts active. It also saw the crash of Christophe Laporte, but all-in-all the peloton remained under control leading into the decisive kilometers of the stage.

Groupama - FDJ set things up for the final climb, which was short, but explosive enough to create differences. Tom Pidcock didn't wait for the French team to make their move, and attacked with just over 5.5 kilometers to go; a brutal acceleration that at first saw Romain Grégoire responding, but the Briton eventually went solo off the front, with meaningful distance over his rivals.

Pidcock had only a short descent and flat run-in to the finish, and here he was able to secure the stage win; a win that is important ahead of the Opening Weekend and Strade Bianche. Jan Christen was second on the day; and Romain Grégoire sprinted to third in the chasing group where Iván Romeo was present, confirming his GC triumph.