There are two Grand Tour debutants from Czech republic at the Vuelta a Espana and both seem committed to prove they didn't arrive just to have a look around. While Mathias Vacek already kicked the door with 2nd place in the opening time trial. His compatriot, also 22-year-old Pavel Bittner had to wait one more stage for an opportunity to show his sprinting qualities with sixth place in Ourém.
"I think I did the best I could in the final. I got dropped off on the wheel of Groves and Martijn was there for me in the final. Chapeau to all the guys. Actually it was quite an easy day before we lit it up on the final climb," Bittner analyzes the stage.
Sadly, team dsm-firmenich PostNL leader for general classification, Max Poole was involved in a crash with 3 kilometers to go. That would be a very sad ending to Poole's Vuelta as the Brit only just recoved from a fractured elbow that side-lined him for half of the season. "There was also the crash and I hope Max is OK."
For Bittner, sixth place is more than pleasant Vuelta debut, however he hopes for even better result in upcoming stages. Maybe already in the third stage which should once again end in a bunch sprint. "For me, I think I can build on this first stage. Tomorrow, the final is a bit more sketchy and narrow, but there we can show our teamwork even better and we’ll see how it goes."
💬 "I think I did the best I could in the final. I got dropped off on the wheel of Groves & Martijn was there for me in the final. Chapeau to all the guys." - Pavel Bittner Read more from the first sprint at #LaVuelta24 🇬🇧🔗 teamdsmfirmenich-postnl.com/vuelta-s2/ 🇳🇱🔗 teamdsmfirmenich-postnl.com/nl/vuelta-s2/
