Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was quickest within the uphill dash to Ourém and received stage two of the 2024 Vuelta a España.
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) led out the dash with 200 metres to go, however Groves had the ability and power to come back around the Belgian within the closing metres. Corbin Sturdy (Israel-Premier Tech) completed third.
Brandon McNulty took the lead within the opening 12km time-trial on Saturday, however Van Aert’s six bonus seconds on the road had been sufficient for him to vault over the American into the general lead of the race.
Groves’ final skilled victory got here eventually yr’s Vuelta. The Australian was happy to place a troublesome season thus far behind him with this win.
“I believe it has been various causes. I had an damage within the spring and missed loads of racing,” he stated of why he had not been at his greatest in 2024
“I returned to a extremely good degree for the Giro, however in the long run was not quick sufficient to beat Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) or Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Deceuninck). That stored me actually motivated and dealing onerous to come back to a race like this, which fits me tremendous nicely.”
Groves is aware of that alternatives for the quick males are few and much between on this yr’s race, which has been billed as one of many hardest Grand Excursions in years.
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“This yr’s parcours is basically fairly troublesome. So we actually solely had in the present day and tomorrow and some alternatives on this first week, so I felt actually large stress to carry out in the present day.”
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
the way it occurred
After being battered by the weather within the opening time-trial, the riders headed inland on stage two on rolling terrain over 194 kilometres from Cascais to Ourém.
Straight from the gun, two Spanish riders made a transfer off the entrance to kind the day’s breakaway. They had been Ibon Ruiz (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Luis Angel Maté (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – the previous on Grand Tour debut and the latter driving his 18th and ultimate three week race as he prepares for retirement, aged 40.
Early on, the pair took on the primary categorised climb of the race, the Alto do Lagoa Azul, the veteran Maté crossing the road first. Their lead stretched out to three-and-a-half minutes because the riders made their manner north.
Kaden Groves and Wout van Aert had been the massive favourites for the stage, and their groups took duty on the entrance of the peloton for a lot of the day.
Many of the problem within the parcours was packed into the ultimate 70 kilometres, which featured a number of unclassified hills in addition to the intermediate dash and fourth class Alto da Batalha, which topped out at with 18km to go.
Maté took the intermediate dash in Alcobaça forward of Ruiz. Groves and Van Aert popped out of the peloton behind within the pursuit of factors, with the Australian edging out the Belgian, foreshadowing the end. The hole to the main duo was decreased to nearly nothing after the dash and the peloton shortly swept them up with 52km left of the stage.
The next two-dozen kilometres stayed in a holding sample, with the massive groups locked on the entrance anticipating the Alto de Batalha, which held inside it some difficult sections. Because the climb started, Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal – Fast-Step) and Marc Soler (UAE Crew Emirates) accelerated. Three extra riders bridged throughout; Kevin Geniets, Stefan Küng (each Groupama-FDJ) and Kobe Goosens (Intermarché-Wanty).
The peloton had been too eager to maintain issues collectively at this level and that transfer was shortly snuffed out.
Issues had been crowded going up the Batalha, with a whole lot of Portguese followers lining the climb and getting shut tot he riders. White jersey Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) crashed mid-way by means of. He was in a position to make his manner again to the peloton earlier than the finale.
Küng sprinted to take the factors on the prime of the Batalha, that means he can be degree with Maté within the mountain classification on the finish of the day.
The sprinters’ groups managed issues on the street into Ourém. Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe had been additionally attentive as they appeared to maintain Primoz Roglič secure within the finale.
With 1.8km to go a number of riders crashed onerous on a quick right-hand bend. Max Poole (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), Jhonatan Narvaez and Josh Tarling (each Ineos Grenadiers) had been amongst these concerned.
Because the peloton blasted below the one kilometre to go banner, Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) led the peloton with Van Aert on his wheel and Groves simply behind.
Van Aert led out the dash, however Groves overcame him with energy and velocity. It was Van Aert’s second shut miss in two phases, however he takes the maillot rojo of total chief into stage three.
Outcomes
La Vuelta a España stage two: Cascais > Ourém (194km)
1. Kaden Groves (Aus) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 5:12:55
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike
3. Corbin Sturdy (NZl) Israel-Premier Tech
4. Pau Miquel Delgado (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
5. Lennert van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto Dstny
6. Pavel Bittner (Cze) dsm-firmenich-PostNL
7. Jon Aberasturi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
8. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
9. Brandon Rivera (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
10. Filippo Baroncini (Ita) UAE Crew Emirates (all identical time)
Normal Classification after stage two
1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike in 5:25:27
2. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Crew Emirates, +3s
3. Mathias Vacek (Cze) Lidl-Trek +5s
4. Stefan Küng (Swi) Groupama-FDJ, +9s
5. Edoardo Affini (Ita) Visma-Lease a Bike, +11s
6. Joshua Tarling (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, identical time
7. Mauro Schmid (Swi) Crew Jayco AlUla, +19s
8. Primoz Roglič (Slo) Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +20s
9. Bruno Amirail (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, +21s
10. Joao Almeida (Por) UAE Crew Emirates, +22s
