Australia's Kaden Groves achieved his third stage victory of the Vuelta a España with a perfectly timed sprint in Stage 17 on Wednesday. The stage took place in Santander, marking the city's first Vuelta finish in over two decades and its first stage departure in ten years. Groves's triumph came amid challenging conditions, with the race concluding on slick, wet streets.
In the final sprint, Czech rider Pavel Bittner and Belgium's Vito Braet secured second and third places, respectively. The sprint finish saw a large group of riders, including overall leader Ben O'Connor from Australia and his main rival, Slovenian Primoz Roglic, crossing the line together. Despite the tough conditions, O'Connor maintained his five-second lead in the general classification.
Groves reflected on the stage, noting the difficulty posed by the shifting weather conditions. "It was quite a tough day," he said. "It started dry, but the finish was wet, making it quite dangerous. With only a few sprint stages in this race and the rest being mountainous, days like today are crucial for intermediate riders."
A leading group of four riders held the front position in the mountainous terrain of northwestern Spain but could not break away as the peloton closed in during the final stretch. O'Connor praised Groves’s performance, highlighting the camaraderie among Australian riders. "It’s always good to see another fellow Aussie win," O'Connor remarked, acknowledging Groves's success and his new role as the green points jersey holder following Wout van Aert’s withdrawal due to a crash.
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