Just 24 hours after taking over the points lead in the Vuelta a España following the fall of Ute Van Aert (Visma-Ries-a-Bike), Australian sprinter Kayden Groves (Alpecin-Desseuninck) won his third race of the 2024 and maximized his advantage in the championship.

For Groves and the rest of the 2024 Vuelta a España powerhouses, there are no more sprint stages after Wednesday's hilly and soggy stage to Santander. With rain pouring down in the northern Cantabria region, a four-man breakaway group did its best to get behind the peloton.

With the finish line in the coastal city of Santander almost in sight, Groves closed out the Vuelta a España with a dominant sprint that earned him victory in Ouren on stage 2 and the Last Chance Saloon in Santander on stage 17! He established himself as a favorite to win the race.

Groves' final challenge in the 2024 Vuelta was an unexpected one. The Australian took over the points lead after Van Aert crashed on Tuesday, but as he told reporters on Wednesday, never wishing such luck on his nemesis, “You have to have a winner every day, and every day someone has to wear the jersey.” [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...]

“To help the team, we always looked to today and tomorrow.

“And when there's a stage at the end of a race where we can accomplish something, certainly the goal is to finish the race and finish the season in good shape, even the last race of the year,” he explained.

“When this is over, it's not over until 2024. The Italian one-day races are less bunch sprints and more aggressive, which suits me.”

Groves appears to be the leading contender for green in Madrid, but the battle for red, currently being contested by another Australian, remains undecided. Groves, however, believes that the GC will be largely decided by the final race weekend.

“I don't know who will win, but I guess we will find out after stage 19.

“I think Primoš Roglic will win because of the TT in Madrid. But as an Australian, I hope fellow Aussie Ben O [Ben O'Connor, current race leader, editor's note] will be on the podium.”

Unlimited access to all coverage of the 2024 Vuelta a España. [...] [...]