The Vuelta a España ended with the expected winner, but the narrative of the race didn't exactly run smoothly. After Tadej Pogačar's exhibitions at the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, this was a very different kind of Grand Tour, with ample tactical intrigue to match.
Several expected contenders fell by the wayside in the opening half of the race, but there was still no shortage of riders playing leading roles across this Vuelta. Ben O'Connor's two-week stint in the red jersey will linger long in the memory, as will Wout van Aert's remarkable sequence of stage wins and jersey hunting, which was cruelly cut short on the descent of the Collada Llomena.
