Kaden Groves becomes first Australian to win La Vuelta green jersey

Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has become the first Australian to win the maillot verde points classification at the Vuelta a España in style, securing his third stage win of the 2023 Spanish Grand Tour at the finale in Madrid.

The 24-year-old Gympie product found himself in a star-studded breakaway that came to life with 43km to go on Stage 21, with Groves’ fellow 2023 La Vuelta stage winners Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step), Lennard Kämna (BORA-hansgrohe), Rui Costa (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) in the move, along with dual 2023 Giro d’Italia stage winner Nico Denz (BORA-hansgrohe)

The breakaway six remained functional until the run-in to the finish, and it wasn’t until the fast-closing remnants of the peloton got to within a bike length of the group that the sprint for stage honours kicked off with 500 metres to go under the impetus of Evenepoel.

Groves immediately latched onto Evenepoel’s wheel and never looked back when he hit the front with 200 metres to race, with only a late surge by Ganna causing any concern.

“We came into today really wanting to take the stage and obviously keep the green jersey but from a breakaway was not my intention,” Groves said.

“Remco was a threat for the green jersey so I suspected he might try something, not to take the jersey but to try and win the stage and I knew I had to follow him.

“So when he went thankfully Edward (Planckaert) did a great job to pull me across the gap.

“It was quite interesting (the finish). I didn’t want to pull the guys in the last kilometre because obviously then it would take away my sprint, but we all looked at each other and that meant the peloton could come back together. But I knew in the sprint I could find a little extra and Remco leading out at 500 metres was a big advantage for me.”

Groves’ La Vuelta stage win tally has now quickly risen to four in two tour starts and continues his streak of winning a stage at every Grand Tour he has started in his career.

The confirmation of his points classification and green jersey win is as previously mentioned, a first for Australia, but it also makes him the third Aussie to ever win an individual jersey classification at the race, joining Simon Clarke and Michael Storer’s mountains polka-dot jersey wins in 2012 and 2021.

That small slice of history caps off a special month for the Sunshine Coast Cycling Club junior, one which he has led for his team, but with continued acknowledgement of the efforts of his teammates at every opportunity.

“It’s pretty special, again, I need to thank my team because without them it wasn’t possible,” Groves said.

“We had such a big month here in Spain and prepared all together as well, so this victory and the jersey, and also my third stage means a lot to me, and I need to thank my team (for that).”

Feature picture: Tim de Waele/Getty Images