“As epic as it can possibly be” – Armstrong, Wiggins and Hincapie heap praise on Kaden Groves
Cycling
Stage 20 of the 2025 Tour de France delivered the kind of drama
that had the entire The Move podcast panel fired up. Kaden Groves’ unexpected
solo win, his first in the Tour and his first solo professional victory, was
the centre piece of discussion, drawing praise from Lance Armstrong, Bradley
Wiggins, George Hincapie, and Spencer Martin.
“Your chances of actually winning are much lesser because
you're the fastest guy,” Hincapie said, pointing out how Groves had to overcome
tactical isolation in the break. “Nobody's going to work for you.” Yet Groves
flipped the script, attacking solo from a late breakaway to take a surprise
victory. “As epic as it can possibly be,” Hincapie continued. “Just crazy
impressed with his performance today, and the team, for that matter.”
Groves now has stage wins in all three Grand Tours and ten
total, and Armstrong heaped more praise on him for “an Australian Hall of Fame
career for sure. He's a hell of a rider.”
The panel also reflected on how rare it is for a sprinter to
win solo at the Tour, with Wiggins digging into the history books: “I seem to
think it was 1996. Jamaladin Abdujaparov attacked from a group on a hilly stage
and won solo.”
The chaotic nature of the stage, punctuated by crashes and
slick roads, raised serious questions about safety. Hincapie highlighted Ivan
Romeo’s crash: “Your boy Romero, who you picked to win the stage, crashed
really hard. You don’t want to go into Paris with an injury like that.”
They criticized a late-stage sprint for 13th place that
nearly took out GC leaders, calling it reckless under the circumstances. “We’re
sprinting for 13th and 14th… and Tadej Pogacar barely misses the crash,” Martin
said. “Who cares?” Martin explained the reasoning: UCI points. “Astana picked
up 25 points for that effort. Every point matters.”
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The discussion also looked ahead to the final stage, which
features a new Montmartre circuit instead of the traditional Champs-Élysées
parade. Armstrong warned the riders about the weather, “If it’s raining like
today on that circuit… you may as well be watching Olympic ice skating.”
The altered route could flip the usual dynamic, especially
with 14 teams still without a stage win. “Normally you’d be like, ‘Watch these
guys roll around, kiss their families,’” Armstrong said. “Tomorrow’s going to
be a different day.”
The Move team wrapped up the episode celebrating
Alpecin-Deceuninck’s remarkable Tour, three stage wins despite the early loss
of Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel to illness. “This is a five-star
Tour for a team like this,” Armstrong said. “They’re schooling other teams.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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leedorney06-11-2026 - Just my opinionleedorney06-11-2026
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