01/04/2023

Volta Limburg Classic: Kaden Groves powers to dominant victory

In a race packed with climbs, it was a supreme performance from Alpecin-Decueninck's Kaden Groves to take victory at the 2023 Volta Limburg Classic.

With 2700 metres of climbing, the Volta Limburg Classic was viewed as an opportunity by many riders to try and make their mark on the season. Several riders including Tim Marsman (Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel), Timo de Jong (VolkerWessels Cycling Team), Marien Bogerd (Allinq Continental Cycling Team), Pierre-Pascal Keup (Team Lotto - Kern Haus), Abram Stockman (TDT-Unibet) and Julian Borresch (Saris Rouvy Sauerland Team) made an early effort to impact the result.

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As the gap between the breakaway and the peloton began to push towards a minute, Meindert Weulink (ABLOC CT) sensed his chance and escaped the main pack, joining the first group at the head of the race and he was followed soon after by the trio of Rune Herregodts (Intermarché - Circus - Wanty), Johannes Staune-Mittet (Jumbo-Visma Development Team) and Simon Dehairs (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team) meaning the lead group now had a total of 10 riders.

As the race continued to break apart with around 80km to go, more and more riders attacked the peloton trying to bridge the gap to the leaders, including three Lotto Dstny riders working in tandem. Two of whom, Pascal Eenkhoorn and Maxim Van Gils, not content at just making it to the breakaway then attacked off the front of the lead group alongside Kaden Groves, Oscar Onley and Herregodts.

With Onley suffering a mechanical with around 47km to go and Lotto Dstny beginning to try and use the numbers game to their advantage, Herregodts was soon dropped leaving the front group down to three riders. As Groves attacked on the final climb of the race, Eenkhoorn was dropped leaving a one-on-one showdown for the race win. It was Groves who led out the sprint around the final corner and Van Gils had no answer to the Australian's pace, giving the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider a dominant victory.