Wout van Aert won the 10th stage of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday to seal a hat-trick of victories on his debut in the Spanish Grand Tour.

The Belgian Visma-Lease a Bike rider worked with Quentin Pacher on the way to the finish in Galicia, with the French rider leading out but soon accepting defeat against the sprint king.

Australian Ben O'Connor keeps the overall lead from Primoz Roglic on a relaxed afternoon for the red jersey rider, as the peloton rolled in five-and-a-half minutes down on Van Aert.

It was a tricky 160 kilometre ride from Ponteareas to Baiona, with four categorised climbs, as the race moved north after Monday's rest day.

"It's not too often that I can win when my family visits me on the race," said Van Aert, 29, who celebrated with his loved ones after his victory.

"It was my aim to be in the breakaway, I had a hard time to be honest on the first climb, I almost gave up, I had one more try at the top for 50km – we had to fight for a bit of a gap."

Van Aert is making his debut on the Vuelta after a disappointing Tour de France, when he was unable to secure any victories. (AFP)