The Australian Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) maintained his love for Back to Spain and in a particularly unproductive year, at Ourém (Portuguesel), has rediscovered success a year and a day after winning the final stage of the 2023 edition in Madrid.
“The Vuelta is a difficult race because of the route and the mountains. That’s why achieving this victory is a great reward for me,” he said after adding his seventeenth career victory and his fifth stage in the Vuelta.
“It’s a great way to start this Vuelta. It’s been a difficult year for me, I still haven’t managed to win. I came super motivated to make it back, and I have to thank my team for their great that race now. My original plan was not to go to the wheel of Wout van Aert, but my two pitchers, Edward (Planckaert) and Maurice (Ballerstedt)they had problems with their bikes, so I missed them in the last part. Under normal conditions, I think Wout would have followed me to the end, and it turned out the other way around,” he explained.
Regarding the lack of results this season, the Australian explained that he has barely been able to compete due to the injury he suffered in the spring and that is why he arrived at the Spanish race “very motivated” and although he will not have many options. , “the best chances are at the beginning “To fight again for victory, his intention is “to finish and go to Madrid and if I can rest.”
Graves knew that in Ourém he had one of his best options to achieve his goal. “The team came to work for me, even though it was a very difficult route, so I felt a lot of pressure.”
He remembered that too Giro d’Italia reached a good level but “it’s not enough to beat to Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier“.
Source: La Verdad
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