Sevilla. Czech cyclist Pavel Bittner surprised Wout Van Aert and Kaden Groves in the final sprint to win the fifth stage of the Vuelta a España, this Wednesday in Seville, after which Slovenian Primoz Roglic remains in the lead. Groves had won the first sprint of this Vuelta, last Sunday in Ourém, and Van Aert took the second, on Monday in Castelo Branco.
A battle was expected between the two for this third mass finish, but Bittner, aged 21, stepped into the fray to end up raising his arms in an exciting finale in the capital of Andalusia, in which the favourite Van Aert had to settle for second place.
“It’s incredible! Just a few weeks ago I achieved my first victory in the professional category. To now win my first stage in one of the big races is something I still can’t believe,” admitted Bittner himself, who in the recent Vuelta a Burgos, also on Spanish soil, won two stages in statements to Eurosport television.
Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates crossed the finish line in 59th place with a time of four hours, 24 minutes and 28 seconds.
On Thursday, the Vuelta a España will have a sixth stage of 185.5 kilometres between Jerez de la Frontera and Yunquera, with four climbs on the programme, one of them a first category climb. The finish will also be at a high altitude, at the Alto de las Abejas.
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– 2024-08-23 22:46:11
