"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

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."

"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.