Primoz Roglic Overcomes Late Drama as Kaden Groves Defeats Wout van Aert in Thrilling Stage 14 Sprint Showdown

Primoz Roglic faced a setback on Stage 14 after a puncture during the final descent, which nearly cost him time on red jersey contender Ben O’Connor. However, he managed to rejoin the peloton. The breakaway group was caught near the top of the final climb, and Kaden Groves powered past Wout van Aert to claim victory in the sprint.

Van Aert’s Visma-Lease a Bike teammates controlled the race from start to finish, but their leader was narrowly beaten by Groves’ perfect sprint. The Dutch team kept a tight rein on the breakaway for the entire 200km stage, which included a lengthy final climb.

This careful strategy allowed Groves and his team to conserve energy and dominate the finish, securing the Australian’s second win in this year’s Vuelta. Although the general classification race took a backseat, the stage wasn’t without drama, as Roglic punctured and had to chase back on a spare bike.

Set in the hills of northwestern Spain, the stage seemed tailor-made for Van Aert, despite nearly 3000m of climbing. Visma-Lease a Bike confidently led the peloton, letting a six-rider breakaway establish but never allowing them more than a 2’30” advantage.

The stage’s breakaway riders, including Isaac Del Toro and Jhonatan Narvaez, held a lead of between 90 seconds and two minutes for much of the stage. However, the real action unfolded on the final climb when Narvaez launched a solo attack, only to be reeled in with three kilometers to go.

As the peloton descended towards Villablino, no one dared to attack, except for Roglic, who was forced to fight his way back after his puncture. In the final sprint, Groves’ team executed a perfect lead-out, setting up the Australian to outsprint Van Aert, who was unable to secure his fourth stage win.

Groves expressed surprise at the sprint finish, admitting he hadn’t expected it but was thrilled to beat Van Aert in a head-to-head race. The general classification remained unchanged, with the battle for the red jersey expected to resume on Sunday on the steep climbs of Ciutu Negru.