Team BikeExchange-Jayco is back in form at the Vuelta a España after losing their key player, Simon Yates. Stage 11 on 31st August, Wednesday witnessed Kaden Groves sprinting to victory. Right behind him were Danny van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who finished second and third.
Kaden was positioned at the front by his team so that he can fight to win. With only 4 km to go, Three riders supported him in his mission. Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) and John Degenkolb (Team DSM) fought off each other to cross the line first. But Kaden waited for the perfect time to split them and launch his own attack.
Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) managed to secure his red jersey while Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) is 2:41 behind him while Enric Mas (Movistar) is much behind at 3:03. Evenepoel lost his special support to a crash, but the World Champion Julian Alaphilippe is expected to make a quick recovery.
Coming back to the winner Groves, he had a lot to say about his win:
It feels fantastic,This morning with the news of Simon [Yates] going positive for COVID-19 all the boys were disappointed. It’s the best way to bounce back after such bad news. I’m really happy to celebrate but I also wish he was here because he’s part of this team.
This marks the first win for Kaden Groves at a World Tour, and he is overjoyed with his accomplishment:
Being my first Grand Tour win for sure it takes the cake. I’m super happy to get a win here already and there are still more stages to come
Results
| POS | RIDER | TEAM | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Kaden Groves | Team BikeExchange-Jayco | 05:03:14 |
| 02 | Danny van Poppel | BORA-hansgrohe | + 00 |
| 03 | Tim Merlier | Alpecin-Deceuninck | + 00 |
| 04 | Sebastian Molano | UAE Team Emirates | + 00 |
| 05 | Mads Pedersen | Trek-Segafredo | + 00 |
| 06 | Daniel McLay | Team Arkéa-Samsic | + 00 |
| 07 | John Degenkolb | Team DSM | + 00 |
| 08 | Fred Wright | Bahrain Victorious | + 00 |
| 09 | Cédric Beullens | Lotto Soudal | + 00 |
| 10 | Boy van Poppel | Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert | + 00 |
Also Read: A Crash At Vuelta A España Takes Out Julian Alaphilippe
Featured Image Via YouTube/ CYCLING SPORT
