Pavel Bittner claimed a stunning victory in stage five of the Vuelta a España, narrowly beating Belgian rider Wout van Aert in a dramatic photo finish. The 21-year-old Czech sprinter, riding for Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL, secured his first-ever Grand Tour stage win in the intense heat of Seville.
The stage, a 177km route from Fuente del Maestre to Seville, initially appeared to be one for the breakaway, but with 38km remaining, the peloton reeled in the escapees, setting up a thrilling bunch sprint. As the riders approached the finish, Van Aert, who had retained the points green jersey, launched his sprint early and looked set to take his second stage win of the race. However, Bittner, emerging from Van Aert’s wheel, executed a perfectly timed bike throw to snatch victory by mere centimetres.
Reflecting on the race, Van Aert admitted that he had misjudged the final moments. “It was a high-speed sprint. To be honest, I expected a bit more of a headwind. I did what I had planned, which was to start my sprint from the wheel of my competitors. I began my sprint early and then felt someone coming alongside. I threw my bike forward a bit too soon because I got confused by the shadows on the road. It’s an easy mistake to make in the heat of the moment, but I think it decided the stage. A costly error,” he said. Despite his frustration, Van Aert was gracious in defeat, recognising Bittner’s strong performance. “He did an excellent job today. Pavel came alongside fairly quickly, and then it was a real battle to the line. It’s clear he deserved this victory.”
The victory marked another significant achievement for Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL, who have had an outstanding season, with Bittner being the latest rider to come through their development program. Speaking after the race, Bittner expressed his disbelief at the win. “It’s really unbelievable to be able to do this for the team. Coming into the final, we stayed really calm with the guys and they did an amazing job, everyone left everything out there. I really saved my energy for the final, and the guys dropped me on Wout’s wheel at the perfect moment. I just thought I would go full and give everything until the line and see what happened. It was a photo finish, it’s unbelievable. I believed in it but to do it is just crazy.”
Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL coach, Phil West, praised the team’s efforts in setting up the win. “We wanted to sprint with Pavel today. After the first two opportunities, we wanted to put everything together and give him the best chance possible. The guys did a tremendous job of staying calm and finding each other in what was quite a tricky final 30 kilometres. In the end, we were there to put him in a place where he could really do a sprint. It’s a fantastic finish for him and the team. With what we were able to do today, we can all be really happy and proud of this win.”
The Vuelta a España now heads back to the mountains, with race leader Primoz Roglic maintaining an eight-second advantage over Joao Almeida. Meanwhile, Rui Costa was forced to abandon the race after being involved in a crash during the sprint finish.
2024 Vuelta a Espana Stage 5 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Cor Vos
