Kaden Groves does not win too much but when he does, it's usually in Spain. He has only two stage wins to his name this season and both have been at the Vuelta a España; today he won stage 14 on a day where the climbers and puncheurs were expected to thrive.
The 23-kilometer long Puerto de Letariegos was only 4.5% in average gradient; however it was 23 kilometers long. The breakaway was expected to win on the day, but a small group went up the road and Team Visma | Lease a Bike worked all day long to give Wout van Aert the best chances of winning on the day.
On the final climb however, it was fully ridden at pace: "I was afraid they would attack there, luckily Visma rode a very high pace, so nobody thought about attacking. Furthermore, my teammates also managed to survive. That way we could control it until the finish," Groves said in a post-race interview.
In the end a bunch sprint followed, in a peloton of around 70 riders. "I did not expect a sprint like this, but Visma controlled it. To then sprint man-to-man against Wout is insane," he admits; but even more impressive was his victory against the in-form Belgian. It was his second of the race, after stage 2.
Groves points out the similarities: "The team did perfectly. Edward [Planckaert] did a perfect lead-out, just like in Sevilla. This time I didn't hesitate. I think I did a very good sprint. It felt a bit like a drag race against Wout, but in the end it was enough to beat him," he concludes. That is of course very nice. I love racing here. It is good to see that the hard work pays off".
This is Groves' fifth consecutive win at La Vuelta. He ended 2023 with an incredible race where he won three stages and the points classification; and this year he has once again found his absolute best form in the Spanish Grand Tour - on the same day that his teammate Jasper Philipsen won at the Renewi Tour.
