The Australian cyclist Kaden Groves (Alpecin) won the 14th stage of the Vuelta a España on Saturday after a mass sprint. Visma’s Wout van Aert sat perfectly behind the Australian and they sprinted side by side, but Groves showed his strength and crossed the finish line first. Groves thus took his second stage victory in this year’s Vuelta. The race is still led by Ben O’Connor (AG2R), who is 1 minute 21 seconds down on Bora captain Primoz Roglic.
With just over 200 kilometers, Saturday’s stage, which led the field from Villafranca del Bierzo to Villablino, was the longest in this year’s Vuelta. The riders once again had to cross a large mountain towards the end, but it was a smooth ascent with no steep percentages, and there was no finish at the top. Therefore, plans were made for a day in the sign of the breakaways and a breather for the classification riders, before a brutal mountain battle awaits on Sunday.
The stage started with several breakout attempts and a high pace in the main field. With just over 150 kilometers to go, six riders managed to get to the front, and the group extended its lead to more than two minutes. However, Visma took great responsibility in the field and made sure to keep the breakaway on a leash by taking the lead.
The six-man group at the front worked well together, but could not resist and thus had to see its lead shrink to just over one minute.
After putting in a lot of effort to ensure that van Aert had the opportunity to win the stage, Visma rider Robert Gesink dropped out with 35 kilometers to go. Team mate Edoardo Affini did the same, and then it was Visma’s Cian Uijtdebroeks who set the pace in the field with Steven Kruijswijk right at the wheel.
Shortly before, the breakaway was split up as the riders hit the final climb of the stage, and then there were only three riders left to pick up. The trio’s lead subsequently shrunk further before being transformed into a duo.
Towards the end there was a rally, and thus the intense battle for position for the stage victory was underway. In the last meters van Aert was briefly in front, but he could not catch up with Groves. It was a slap in the face to Visma, who led all day to ensure van Aert the opportunity to win his fourth stage in this year’s Vuelta.
ritzau
Source: politiken.dk
