In the history of Australian cycling, only a few dozen cyclists have won a grand tour stage. It is a mark of distinction, beating the best in the world at one of the three races that stand out on the annual calendar: the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. Fewer still have won stages at multiple grand tours, or at the same grand tour across multiple years. Those honours belong to some of the greats of the sport in Australia: the likes of Phil Anderson, Robbie McEwen, Cadel Evans, Richie Porte and Michael Matthews.
Kaden Groves is not, for now, in that pantheon. But this week, the 24-year-old became the first Australian to win back-to-back stages at a world tour, out-sprinting the peloton on stages four and five at the Vuelta in Spain. It builds on his debut grand tour stage win at the Vuelta last year, and his Giro stage crown in Italy earlier this year.
More stages wins may await in the remaining two weeks of the Vuelta. It is true, as cycling magazine Rouleur pointed out this week, that Groves’ wins come “with a caveat: the quality of the sprinting field is of a low quality”. The best sprinters in the world are not at the Vuelta, having focused as they usually do on the Tour (including Groves’ colleague, Jasper Philipsen). But as Rouleur conceded, “you can only beat what is in front of you,” and Groves’ team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, “have become masters at doing exactly that”.
Groves, a former motocross rider, began his cycling career as a teenager in the domestic National Road Series with St George Continental. He spent time with the development squad of Team Jayco-Alula (then Mitchelton-Scott), before securing a stagiaire contract and ultimately a permanent role with the Australian team.
The sprinter’s potential was demonstrated from the start, Groves winning two stages at the 2020 Herald Sun Tour in the opening race of his first full world tour season in Jayco-Alula colours. It took time for him to blossom, with only two wins following in 2021: the Australian criterium national title and the Tour of Slovakia prologue. But in his final year with Jayco, and since shifting to Alpecin at the start of this year, the victories have started to flow.
Groves does not quite have the pace of the best pure sprinters in the world, but he can climb better than most fast-men and so is well suited to punchy finishes. And given his age, there is every possibility he will develop further in the years ahead. One of his most impressive victories came not at the grand tours but at the Tour of Turkey last year, when he beat then rival and now teammate Philipsen and Sam Bennett. It hinted that on his best days Groves has the raw speed to match anyone.
Only four Australians in history have won stages at all three grand tours: Ewan (11), Matthews (10), Rohan Dennis (four) and Simon Gerrans (four – the first Australian to do so). Having made his own history in Spain, it may not be long before Groves adds his name to that list with a stage win at the Tour de France.
But there is a more immediate task at hand. No Australian has ever won the Vuelta green jersey, the colour worn by the leader of the points classification – sometimes called the sprinters’ jersey, although given the predominance of tough mountain stages in Spain, it is often won by a climber. Groves currently leads the classification, with a 60-point advantage over Italy’s Andrea Vendrame.
It will be an uphill battle to retain the jersey through to Madrid. Points are earned for stage finishes and intermediate sprint points – the climbers will reel Groves back as the Vuelta tackles punishing ascents in the two weeks ahead. There are just three sprint stages remaining: this Friday, and then two in the final three days of action, including the processional stage through the streets of Madrid.
To fend off the general classification contenders – as recently as 2020 Primož Roglič won the red and green jerseys at the Vuelta – Groves will need to win another stage or two and race smart to collect intermediate sprint points. But throughout his short world tour career, Groves has proved himself to be a shrewd competitor and in Spain he is backed by a strong team.
Becoming the first Australia to win the green jersey at the Vuelta would be quite the feat – joining only Evans (who won the Giro points classification in 2010), McEwen, Matthews and Baden Cooke (who have all won the sprint crown at the Tour). It would be another historic achievement for this unheralded young Australian who is quickly making his mark on the world stage.
