Kaden Groves secured his third stage victory in the 2024 Vuelta a España in a rain-soaked sprint finish in Santander, extending his lead in the points classification. The Australian inherited the green jersey just a day earlier after Wout van Aert was forced to abandon the race following a crash.
Groves capitalised on the final sprint stage available, edging out his competitors as the peloton closed in on a four-man break. His triumph adds to earlier victories on stage 2 in Ourem and stage 14 in Villablino, making him one of the standout sprinters of this year’s Vuelta.
Speaking after the stage, Groves reflected on his unexpected gain of the points classification jersey, following Van Aert’s crash. “I heard he’d abandoned, and it was a strange situation to inherit the points classification,” Groves explained. “But thankfully he had no fractures and I wish him a quick recovery. Every day, somebody has to wear the jerseys, and today I was lucky it was me.”
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider also commented on his victory, which marked his seventh Grand Tour stage win: “I guess it helps, for sure. It was my last opportunity here at this year’s race, and I had a super motivated team. They did so well to control the break at the start. To repay them with win number three is pretty special.”
The fast-paced and technical stage saw Groves’ versatility shine through, navigating the tricky conditions to emerge victorious. His consistent performances across different terrains have earned him a commanding 222-point total in the points classification, with Pavel Bittner trailing far behind with 106 points.
Despite being firmly in control of the green jersey, Groves remains focused on helping his teammates in the coming stages. “Today was all for the stage victory, and then tomorrow [Thursday], I’ll be working to see if I can help a teammate like Xandro [Meurisse] or Quinten [Hermans] get in the break,” he revealed.
The Australian is also looking ahead to the challenges that remain in the race, particularly stage 20. “After that, it’s all about survival, doing the bare minimum and just getting through… Stage 20 will be the last ‘war and survival’ day of the 2024 race,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pavel Bittner of Team dsm-firmenich PostNL put in a solid performance to take second place in Santander. Despite Max Poole’s late attack, Bittner couldn’t quite match Groves’ pace in the final sprint. Reflecting on his day, Bittner said, “My teammates did a really good job keeping me in a good position… I was waiting, and when [Groves] started his sprint, I tried to go around, but I didn’t have the time or the speed. Hats off to him, it was a really hard day today.”
The rain-soaked stage proved challenging for many riders, with coach Phil West of Team dsm-firmenich PostNL recognising the difficult conditions. “It’s been a really tough day, but I’m happy with how the boys rode,” he said. “It was another strong sprint from Pavel, even if he couldn’t quite get there on the line.”
2024 Vuelta a Espana Stage 17 result
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Main photo credit: Getty
