Stage seven of the Vuelta a Espana ended in a crash-filled sprint finish in Oliva, which Geoffrey Soupe unexpectedly won.
The Frenchman rounded the final bend with 300 meters to go and beat Aular in a race to the finish.
Over six kilometers from the finish, a crash occurred, forcing an ambulance to stop and treat Thymen Arensman.
Team leader for the Ineos squad, Geraint Thomas, crashed out earlier in the stage.
Treatment for the Welshman’s left knee cost him 24 precious seconds.
Stage 6 winner Lenny Martinez is still the overall leader, while second-placed Sepp Kuss, despite a late crash, is only eight seconds behind the Frenchman.
Kaden Groves had a great chance to win a third stage of the race following his fourth and fifth stage victories in a row, but he was passed on the penultimate corner and ended up in fifth place.
For TotalEnergies rider Soupe, a victory in the Vuelta would be the crowning achievement of his career.
“It’s incredible for me and the team because I wasn’t going to ride the Vuelta this year,” stated Soupe.
It’s so fast in the sprint that I didn’t think I had a chance of winning a stage.
Stage seven results
1. Geoffrey Soupe (Fra/TotalEnergies) 4hrs 56mins 29secs
2. Orluis Aular (Ven/Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) Same time
3. Edward Theuns (Bel/Lidl-Trek)
4. Sebastián Molano (Col/UAE Team Emirates)
5. Kaden Groves (Aus/Alpecin-Deceuninck)
6. Marijn van den Berg (Ned/EF Education – EasyPost)
7. David Gonzalez (Spa/Caja Rural-Segurosrga)
8. Hugo Page (Fra/Intermarche-Circus-Wanty)
9. Filippo Ganna (Ita/Ineos Grenadiers)
10. Matevž Govekar (Slo/Bahrain Victorious)
General classification after stage seven
1. Lenny Martinez (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) 26hrs 37mins 04secs
2. Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) +8secs
3. Marc Soler (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) +51secs
4. Wout Poels (Ned/Bahrain Victorious) +1min 41secs
5. Steff Cras (Bel/TotalEnergies) +1min 48secs
6. Mikel Landa (Spa/Bahrain Victorious) +1min 58secs
7. David de la Cruz (Spa/Astana-Qazaqstan) +2mins 23secs
8. Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda (Ecu/Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) +2mins 30secs
9. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal-Quick-Step) +2mins 47secs
10. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +2mins 50secs
