MADRID, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Decuninck rewarded his team's efforts to chase down a breakaway that was nearly successful, winning the sprint finish at the end of the 17th stage of the Vuelta a Espana in Santander on Wednesday.

The 141-kilometer stage seemed relatively straightforward on paper, aside from the steep slopes of the Alto del Caracol mid-day. However, it was complicated by a breakaway of four riders: Jonas Greegard (Lotto-Dstny), Thibault Guernalec (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Xabier Isasa (Euskaltel-Euskadi), and Thomas Champion (Cofidis), who built a lead of four and a half minutes.

After Tuesday's climb to the Lagos de Covadonga, the peloton's tired legs caused a delay in the chase. With this being the last chance for sprinters in the race, teams like Alpecin-Decuninck, Kern-Pharma, and Team DSM-firmenich PostNL took charge of the pursuit.

Champion was caught by the peloton with 10 kilometers remaining, but the three remaining breakaway riders still maintained a 30-second advantage on rain-slicked roads, with frequent roundabouts adding an extra challenge for the chasers.

Swiss champion Mauro Schmid of Jayco-AlUla nearly upset the stage when he launched an attack from the peloton with less than three kilometers to go. For a moment, it appeared he might take the win, but Alpecin-Decuninck would not be denied. Groves demonstrated his prowess as the strongest sprinter in the race following Wout van Aert's withdrawal, claiming his third stage victory.

There was no change in the overall standings, with Ben O'Connor of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale holding a narrow five-second lead over Primoz Roglic of Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe.

The race heads into the Basque region on Thursday with a 'half-mountain' stage between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Maeztu National Park. The route features almost no flat terrain and includes both second and first category climbs, creating an ideal scenario for a long-range attack. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)