Kaden Groves secured his second stage victory of this year’s Vuelta a España, out-sprinting Wout van Aert on the gently rising final straight of Stage 14. The Australian, who rides for Alpecin-Deceuninck, crossed the line after 4 hours and 21 minutes of racing on the hilly 200-kilometre route from Villafranca del Bierzo to Villablino in northwest Spain. This marks Groves’ sixth career win in the Spanish Grand Tour.
“It’s rare for me to win with final climbs, but I had the legs to do it,” Groves said after the race. “I was feeling pretty confident I had him [Van Aert] by half a wheel or so. Generally, when you win, you know, and Wout’s been giving me a hard time this week, but now I can say we’re even.”
Groves managed to stay with the lead group over the 23-kilometre Puerto de Leitariegos climb, which had an average gradient of 4.5%. With Visma-Lease a Bike setting a steady pace, the peloton reeled in the six-rider breakaway before the final ascent. Groves credited his team’s support in positioning him for the sprint, particularly highlighting the work of teammate Eddy Planckaert.
Meanwhile, race leader Ben O’Connor remains in the red jersey, holding a reduced advantage of 1 minute and 21 seconds over three-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič. O’Connor acknowledged the challenging day ahead as the riders face a mountainous 143-kilometre route to a summit finish atop Cuitu Negru on Sunday.
“Everybody is looking at Primož,” O’Connor said. “It’s going to be a really hard, important day, and I’m looking forward to it. I’m more fatigued now than I was a week ago, but at least I’m not sick of being in the heat all the time like I was in the first week.”
O’Connor, who has seen his lead steadily diminish over recent stages, remains optimistic, particularly as the race heads into terrain where he feels more confident. The 28-year-old Australian expressed his familiarity with Asturias, where the Vuelta returns after a brief visit to the region during the race’s early stages.
On Saturday, Van Aert also secured maximum points for the mountains classification atop Puerto de Leitariegos, allowing him to double his lead over his nearest rivals in the KOM standings. Despite this success, Van Aert was visibly disappointed after narrowly missing out on another stage win.
Photo Credit: Unipublic/Sprint Cycling Agency“I feel disappointment, especially because of all the hard work my teammates put in today,” Van Aert commented. “Towards the sprint, I had a lot of confidence, but Groves turned out to be slightly stronger today.”
Van Aert’s day was not without its challenges. His team controlled the race, ensuring the breakaway group never gained too much of an advantage. However, a technical issue for Roglič on the descent of the final climb added an unexpected twist. The Slovenian had to swap bikes with teammate Daniel Martínez but managed to rejoin the peloton before the finish.
Looking ahead, Groves hinted at one more opportunity to contest a bunch sprint on Stage 17 into Santander. However, his focus, like many others, will shift to Sunday’s summit finish, where O’Connor and Roglič will likely continue their battle for the overall lead.
“It’s been a very tough week,” Groves admitted, “but I’m glad to have another win under my belt, and now I can focus on supporting my teammate in the remaining stages.”
As the race progresses, the general classification battle remains finely poised, with Sunday’s demanding stage set to play a crucial role in determining the final outcome.
2024 Vuelta a Espana Stage 14 result
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Main photo credit: Getty
