Queensland’s Kaden Groves wins his first Tour def France stage
Australia’s Kaden Groves has completed his set of grand tour stage wins after thriving on the slippery roads to Pontarlier on the penultimate day of the Tour de France.
Australia’s Kaden Groves has completed his set of grand tour stage wins after thriving on the slippery roads to Pontarlier on the penultimate day of the Tour de France.
The Gympie-born 26-year-old sprinter is normally renowned for fast finishes, but excelled in the tough and wet slog over the hills to claim an emotional victory from a 13-man breakaway.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider surged ahead 16km from home and held on for his first Tour stage win and 10th at major races.
Groves has claimed two bunch sprint stages at the Giro d’Italia and seven at the Spanish Vuelta.
“Today we weren’t sure whether to go for the stage or wait for tomorrow but when the rain falls I have a super feeling normally in the cold weather,” an emotional Groves said.
“There’s so much pressure at the Tour, and having won in the Giro, having won in the Vuelta, all I ever get asked is am I good enough to win in the Tour? And now I shown them.
“It’s my first time winning, so it’s pretty incredible.”
In yet another reason for Groves to celebrate, he claimed Alpecin-Deceuninck’s third win in the Tour de France, adding to their success.
It is also a considerable boost to team morale as well, given that the team’s other stage winners, Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel, had to abandon due to injury and illness, respectively.
“I’m incredibly happy and proud of this team,” Groves said.
“We had a great start, winning two stages and a number of days in yellow, but we had a number of super low points, too, losing Jasper and Mathieu, so it’s been quite a roller coaster for the team.”
“On a personal note, I knew I hadn’t been sprinting super well. But in the end of a third week of a Grand Tour, I have been handling mountains well.”
Runaway overall race leader Tadej Pogacar maintained his lead over Danish rival Jonas Vingegaard ahead of the final stage in Paris.
The Team UAE rider has a 4min 24sec advantage heading into what could be a tricky finale, a 132km ride from Mantes-la-Ville to the Champs-Elysees, but featuring three ascents of the cobbled streets of Montmartre.
“It’s starting to sink in,” said the 26-year-old, who previously won the sport’s most prestigious cycling stage race in 2020, 2021 and 2024.
“Tomorrow, all being well, I’ll be celebrating with my team. This has been another level of hard, all the way. I enjoyed it though and I’m really looking forward to the last day tomorrow.”
Originally published as Queensland’s Kaden Groves wins his first Tour def France stage
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