"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
Cycling
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
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
Loading
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!
Write a comment