Groves wins in Santander and equals Van Aert

Third victory for Groves in La Vuelta a España 2024. The Alpecin sprinter won the arrival in Santander and has surpassed all his rivals at the finish line. The sprinter equals the victories of Van Aert in this edition of La Vuelta after his rival's withdrawal on the stage to Lagos de Covadonga.

Groves equals Van Aert

The day started with a calm peloton that allowed the breakaway of the day without major complications. The brave riders who launched ahead were Jonas Gregaard (Lotto Dstiny), Thibault Guernalec (Arkéa-Samsic), Thomas Champion (Cofidis), and Xabier Isasa (Euskaltel-Euskadi). From the early stages, the four escapees managed to establish a significant advantage that exceeded 4 minutes, although the peloton always kept a calculated control.

The first critical point of the stage was the Alto de La Estrangulada, a 2nd category climb with 5.5 kilometers at an average gradient of 8.7%. In this ascent, the leading quartet showed understanding and collaboration, allowing them to crown with a 4'33" advantage. Gregaard was the first to cross the summit, securing the points for the mountain classification.

However, the descent of La Estrangulada was marked by tension and surprise. A frenetic pace and wet asphalt due to the rain caused Thomas Champion and Xabier Isasa to lose contact with Gregaard and Guernalec, who pushed the accelerator. The lead of the two front runners over their former breakaway companions reached 40 seconds, while the peloton, aware of the danger of the terrain, maintained a distance of 5 minutes.

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With the Alto del Caracol, the second climb of the day, approaching, the peloton began to increase the speed. The Kern Pharma, with Ibon Ruiz at the helm, took the reins in the chase, slowly reducing the advantage of the escapees. The climb, longer but less steep than the previous one, served as a platform for Gregaard and Guernalec to extend their lead in the breakaway. However, the difference was reduced to 4'11" at the summit, making it clear that the peloton had the situation under control.

The descent of the Alto del Caracol was crucial. With 60 kilometers to go, the main group, now led by the Alpecin-Deceuninck, began to reduce the distance more aggressively. The speed in the peloton increased, and the four escapees regrouped, although their hopes of victory weakened with each passing kilometer.

With 44 kilometers remaining, the gap was reduced to 3'33", and the sprint teams started to organize for the expected sprint in the streets of Santander. The stage, despite its mountainous difficulties, seemed destined to be resolved in a mass finish, leaving the breakaway riders as mere supporting characters in a script that, from the beginning, favored the fastest men in the peloton.

With 16 kilometers to go, with the peloton fighting to catch the escapees, Campenaerts wanted to play a team role and destabilize the coordination of the teams that were working to bring down the breakaway. The new rider of Visma attacked, but the riders of Alpecin managed to close the gap, and his attack helped to further launch the race.

The peloton caught up with the escapees, and with 5 kilometers to go, they were neutralized. Despite the great effort made by the Kern Pharma and Alpecin riders, the escapees managed to hold their own against the group.

Mauro Schmid broke the final sprint with a good attack that complicated the sprint finish. The Swiss rider took Campenaerts with him. The sprint teams did not want to let victory slip away, and Alpecin worked for Groves. The sprinter comfortably took the stage ahead of the rest and added his third victory, equaling Van Aert.

The 18th stage of the 2024 Vuelta is a 179.5-kilometer stage between Vitoria-Gasteiz and the Izki Natural Park, in Arraia-Maeztu. With a hilly profile, it includes two climbs: the Alto de Rivas de Tereso (2nd category) and the Puerto de Herrera (1st category). It is a suitable route for fast riders who handle climbs well, but it could also eliminate the pure sprinters.