"It’s a bittersweet victory" - Kaden Groves on taking the Points classification thanks to Wout Van Aert's abandon

For Kaden Groves, it's already a second Green jersey from Vuelta a Espana in his collection. Yet the disparity between his two triumphs couldn't be more obvious. While last year the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter was unrivaled for the Points Classificaiton, this time the victory quite literally fell into his lap after the abandon of Wout van Aert who seized full control in the competition until his crash.

The Australian emphasizes this speaking to the organisers after the final time trial: "I think it’s quite a lot different, actually last year was a different experience collecting points. This year, obviously, Wout van Aert crashed out and left me with the jersey so it’s a bittersweet victory."

Yet it would be unfair towards Groves to say that he didn't deserved the jersey. After all, he had won three stages this year. "But it’s really nice to be back here and it’s not for nothing. The team worked really hard and I know myself and the rest of the guys put in everything we could at each day for three weeks to arrive here with this jersey and also three victories. It’s a credit to the team. It’s not easy to get one win and to repeat that several times is always special."

Despite attempts to succeed also at the Giro d'Italia, Groves seems to always find the right "click" at the Spanish Grand Tour, pushing his victories counter to '7' this year. "La Vuelta seems to treat me quite well and it’s a joy coming back each year. Thank you to my teammates, all the sponsors and everyone who makes it possible. We’ll talk about my calendar in November but I guess it’s quite likely [I’ll be back next year]," Groves promises to return for a shot at a potential 'Green hattrick' in 2025.