Kaden Groves Wins Stage Two of Vuelta a España

Australian rider Kaden Groves claimed victory in stage two of the Vuelta a España with a decisive sprint finish. Groves from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, completed the 194km stage from Cascais to Ourem in 5 hours, 12 minutes and 55 seconds. He edged out Belgian rider Wout van Aert, who finished second and New Zealand’s Corbin Strong, who took third place.

Groves, 25, expressed his relief and motivation after securing his first win of the season, stating, “It’s been a tough year without a win yet. I came here super motivated to change that. I have to thank my team for a really strong ride today.” He emphasized the importance of the win for his team. Despite the loss in the sprint finish, Van Aert took the overall lead in the general classification by earning six bonus seconds.

After finishing third in the opening time trial, Van Aert had hoped for a stage win but was content with the red jersey, stating, “My team did a really good job to make it a bunch sprint, so it’s unfortunate to arrive second but finishing in the top three meant the red jersey.” Stage two saw several riders involved in a crash within the final 4km, but all managed to finish without losing significant time.

Ineos Grenadiers’ Welsh rider Josh Tarling narrowly avoided serious injury after crashing into a wall. The Vuelta a España continues with stage three on Monday, covering 191.2km from Lousa to Castelo Branco.

Stage Two Results:
1. Kaden Groves (Aus/Alpecin-Deceuninck) – 5:12:55
2. Wout van Aert (Bel/Visma-Lease a Bike) – Same time
3. Corbin Strong (NZ/Israel-Premier Tech)

General Classification:
1. Wout van Aert (Bel/Visma-Lease a Bike) – 5:25:27
2. Brandon McNulty (US/UAE Team Emirates) +3s
3. Mathias Vacek (Cze/Lidl-Trek) +5s