The Australian Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), winner of Santander of his third stage at Lap and leader of the points classification, he said he won on a day complicated by bad weather and the difficulty of fighting to cancel the break until the end.
“It was a complicated stage, quite difficult. We started in the dry, and then at the end in the wet, which also made it quite dangerous. The team was very strong and we were able to control together with Kern Pharma and DSM, ” he commented. Groves.
A triplet for the Gympie-born cyclist 25 years ago came a day after Belgian Wout Van Aert’s retirement due to a fall.
“Yesterday I heard on the radio that he has retired. It feels a little strange. Fortunately, he is fine, he has no fracture and I wish him a speedy recovery. Being there in that second position was also a good goal for me. Good sport and cycling, sometimes you win and sometimes you have to lose,” he said.
Groves pointed to the level shown by the Australian cyclists at the Vuelta, with their 3 stage victories and the leadership of Ben O’Connor.
“I think we are showing the level we have. We are proud to be Australian and to show this strength in a sport that is largely dominated by Europe,” he commented.
The “Aussie” cyclist hopes that O’Connor will keep the red jersey until Madrid, and believes that on Saturday the doubts will be removed upon arrival in Picón Blanco.
“For sure we will know the winner after stage 19, but then there is the final time trial in Madrid, which is favorable for Primoz Roglic. Being Australian, I hope that O’Connor will retain the podium position.
Source: La Verdad
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