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.
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.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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.@kaden_groves is a warrior. Our 'sprinter' dominated a wind and rain-plagued Volta Limburg Classic today and finished the job in a sprint of two. His third victory this season. Congratz, Kaden!
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