PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2024 stage 5 - Wout van Aert and Kaden Groves face off for the third time

The brutal heat has marked the first few days of the Vuelta a España and this will continue into stage 5. We preview a day where it is expected that the sprinters will fight for the win once again, and naturally we look towards Wout van Aert and Kaden Groves.

A day to resettle and reorganize. From Fuente del Maestre to Sevilla the profile won't be completely flat but the sprinters should have their way. It is a day without a categorized climb but that doesn't mean there won't be something to climb. However, there won't be anything too dramatic.

It is a transition day as the riders head south throughout the entire day, mostly in straightforward roads. With 51 kilometers to go there will be a 3.3-kilometer climb at 5.8% but it won't likely be too hard to create differences. The intermediate sprint will come with 25 kilometers to go before the pan-flat finale in Sevilla.

It is a sprint finish that features a few technical sections but still relatively far from the finish. Between 7 to 6Km to go there are a few 90-degree corners, and with 3.7Km to go a 180-degree turned which will have a positioning battle likely, specially as it's just outside the 3-kilometer rule limit. Then, a fully straightforward finale into the sprint.

The Weather

Temperatures reaching 37 degrees once again. It is brutal and really wears out the riders. A southwestern breeze throughout the day will turn this into a headwind slog throughout desert land... A long day on the bike and the sun, it should be slow but then very fast in the final kilometers.

The Favourites

Wout van Aert - Both Visma and Alpecin will ride to control the breakaway, it shouldn't be a hard task as in previous days, that were harder, very few riders tried something. Here it's a matter of getting to the final kilometers. Visma does not have a leadout but the field of sprinter teams is so poor that Edoardo Affini by himself has managed to do almost perfect leadouts. So van Aert doesn't have to worry about positioning, but this time around he will not have an uphill sprint which favours him over Groves.

Kaden Groves - Groves has the numbers to support him but as seen on stage 2 the team does not have a good leadout up to the sprint. Still, they should be able to keep him right in the front the whole way and on a flat and pure sprint he must be able to beat van Aert again.

The field behind is very thin. We have Jon Aberasturi who has indeed put on a massive sprint in Castelo Branco for third and honestly can also do it again as well as he is in the right position. Corbin Strong did the same in Lousã, but here it's a pure sprint so he and Bryan Coquard won't really have the advantage from the hills. Pavel Bittner instead should be more of a contender alongside Aberasturi for best of the rest. Pau Miquel, Arne Marit and Ide Schelling will be others that should be in the mix.

Prediction 2024 Vuelta a España 2024 stage 5:

*** Wout van Aert, Kaden Groves
** Jon Aberasturi, Pavel Bittner
* Bryan Coquard, Pau Miquel, Arne Marit, Ide Schelling

Pick: Kaden Groves