As it happened: Victory for Groves, red jersey for Van Aert in Vuelta a España stage 2 sprint

Let’s hear from Van Aert in red

“If course, I wanted to win this stage, my team did a really good job to make it a bunch sprint so it’s unfortunate to arrive second, but today I knew that finishing in the first three meant the red jersey, so after all it’s a good day. 

“I knew before that [Groves] is super fast. I got led out really strong by Edoardo Affini, but it was difficult to time the sprint well because the guys from behind maybe carried a bit more speed, so that’s maybe something we should have looked to, but Kaden passed me really strong and deserved his win.”

Van Aert pulls on the red jersey as the new overal leader. He leads McNulty by three seconds and and Vacek by five seconds. 

The finish line shot

Let’s hear from the winner, Kaden Groves, who already had four Vuelta stage wins to his name and now picks up his fifth with his first win of the 2024 season

“It’s a really nice way to start this Vuelta. It’s been a hard year for myself, not having a win yet, but I came here super motivated to change that, and I’ve got to thank my team for a really strong ride today.”

As for following Van Aert’s wheel in the finale: “It wasn’t the plan but my two leadout men had problems with the bikes, so I actually missed them both in the final. Normally, it might have been the opposite.”

It looks like everyone involved in that late crash has crossed the line. Josh Tarling was the worst off, slumped against a wall at the time, but he limps across the line with his jersey badly ripped. 

Van Aert opened it up after the long leadout from his teammate but Groves was perfectly positioned and wasted little time in the slipstream before hitting out himself, and in the end it was convincing and he powered through the middle. Strong was gaining on Van Aert but the Belgian just held on for second. 

Corbin Strong came through to rival Van Aert for second place there. Either way, Van Aert is going into the red jersey as overall leader.

Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) wins stage 2 of the Vuelta a España

Groves comes through, and takes it!!!

Van Aert opens it!