Vuelta a Espana: Geoffrey Soupe claims a surprise win in stage seven

Geoffrey Soupe claimed a surprise win in a crash-ridden stage seven of the Vuelta a Espana after edging out Orluis Aular in a sprint finish in Oliva.

The Frenchman sped into the final corner with 300m remaining before outsprinting Aular in a photo finish.

The stage had been disrupted by a crash with over six kilometres left, which saw Thymen Arensman needing treatment in an ambulance.

Earlier in the stage, Ineos team leader Geraint Thomas had also gone down.

The Welshman had to receive treatment to his left knee as he lost another 24 seconds on the line.

Lenny Martinez retained the overall leader’s red jersey he claimed in stage six, while second-placed Sepp Kuss recovered from a late incident to get back into the peloton and remain with eight seconds of the Frenchman.

Kaden Groves looked well placed to win a third stage of the race after consecutive wins in the fourth and fifth, but he was passed on the final corner before finishing fifth.

A Vuelta victory for TotalEnergies rider Soupe is the biggest win of his career.

“It’s incredible for me and for the team because I wasn’t going to ride the Vuelta this year,” said Soupe.

“I didn’t think it was possible to win a stage because it’s really fast in the sprint.”