It was an exciting last kilometre at #LaVuelta24 today 🥵 where Pavel Bittner sprinted to 🥈for the team. 🎥 Relive all the action from our team car!
"I tried to go around but I didn’t have the time or the speed" - Pavel Bittner impressed by Kaden Groves' power in the third week of Vuelta
CyclingThursday, 05 September 2024 at 02:30
The great Vuelta a Espana debut continues for the 21-year-old Pavel Bittner. The dsm-firmenich PostNL sprinter already won a stage earlier in the race and now he added runner-up result in Santander. Besides being a great result, this also confirms his position as the second man in the points classification, miles behind the new leader and today's winner - Kaden Groves.
Bitnner could rely on a fully-devoted team to support him in the finale of the stage: "My teammates did a really good job keeping me in a good position and pulling in the last 40 kilometres. I was suffering even in the wheels so I have no idea how hard it was at the front."
Read also
"I tried to stay calm in the final," Bittner continues. He received a valuable assistance from teammate Max Poole who, despite being a climber, didn't hesitate to cover up an attack in the final of the stage. "Max jumped on Mauro’s wheel which was good as he could surf his wheel and sprint if needed at the end."
Further from the front, Bittner needed to find a good wheel to launch his sprint from - and he found a VIP ticket behind the green-man's sprint train. "I found the wheel of Kaden heading into the sketchy last corner. I was waiting and when he 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."
Tomorrow the sprinters can, in the back of their minds, calculate whether a (reduced) bunch finish could be in their cards. The Puerto Herrera (5.6km at 8.3%) 45 kilometers from the line sounds like a scary obstacle. But prior to the first-category ascent, the stage could be controlled and for those who survive the steep climb, a rather rolling final quarter of the stage awaits. But more realistically, anything but a breakaway win will be quite an upset.
Read also
claps 1visitors 140
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Thanks Dadmobk22-12-2024
- Hard to believe with the advancment of modern medicine he can not find a cause for this.frieders321-12-2024
- You continue to platform these two cheats. With that in mind I can no longer use your site. I know my leaving means little, but, sometimes you have to take a stand. See ya!DJ21-12-2024
- Look at what Froome’s won since his last TdF, stop denying there is still more than possible one outcome to the future.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Bruyneel understands nothing about clean competition.Sweep21-12-2024
- Exactly. Remco won 3 WT races/stages last year compared to Pogocar's 19. Remco's single stage win in last years TdF earned him a meager 12 seconds over Pogocar who shellac'd him by 9 minutes in GC.Sweep21-12-2024
- Fortunately and as you point out, more than one strategy is possible and worth trying and I’m sure all concerned riders are well informed and counselled on this subject and don’t need such basic personal advice through media from an outsider.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- The main SPOTY award is "decided" by public vote but the BBC "expert panel" decide who you can choose from, that choice has an equal split of genders and is focussed on the sports BBC show and a disabled athlete. Oh yea the ubiquitous "Pub Games" candidate there too, Darts and Snooker are not sports. The other awards are decided by the "Expert Panel" again it's about the sports BBC show, cycling has had it. Cav got his for his years and achievements in the sport, not just that 35th TDF win. Unless the BBC get access to Pro Cycling it will never feature "adequately" on SPOTYslappers6621-12-2024
- Ahhh..... you have to understand the "strange" diversity concepts of the BBCslappers6621-12-2024
- Avoiding him is a good strategy, you get more wins and then you can compete in the TDF relatively relaxed. Pit yourself against Pogi and not only there will be no wins, it will be considerable mental setbackabstractengineer21-12-2024