See Naples and fly! Gympie’s Groves gusts to Giro glory
Ian Chadband |
On a drama-packed day of joy and calamity for the Australian challenge at the Giro d’Italia, Kaden Groves has sprinted to glory in Naples but only after former winner Jai Hindley had been forced to abandon the race following a mass crash.
Queenslander Groves, the speed king from Gympie, powered to an emphatic win on stage six — his ninth victory in Grand Tours — on Thursday after the sprint denouement featured a protester running towards the massed bunch, who thankfully managed to avoid another disaster.
That was exactly what the race didn’t need after a sickening crash earlier on a wet road caused when 2022 winner Hindley, one of only two Australians ever to win a Grand Tour, came down heavily in the peloton, with a domino effect of riders tumbling behind him.
The 29-year-old Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe ace, a key lieutenant in the mountains for race favourite and 2023 champion Primoz Roglic, ended up sitting dazed and in pain at roadside before being taken to hospital in an ambulance suffering from concussion.
Moderate rain had left roads in treacherous condition with 72km left of the 227km trek from Potenza, when the incident also forced New Zealander Dion Smith and German Juri Hollmann to abandon.
The race was neutralised for about 25 minutes before resuming with 60km to go.
The drama ramped up over the final kilometre when the banner-wielding protester stepped out recklessly just as the sprint trains were powering into top gear.
After Aussie compatriot and Alpecin–Deceuninck teammate Jensen Plowright had made a dramatic break for the line only to be hauled in by Wout van Aert, who quickly faded himself, Groves attacked to win comfortably from Milan Fretin.
It was his first win since last year’s Vuelta and the 26-year-old, who’s had knee injury woes this season, admitted: “It’s a big relief.
“The team always believed in me and it’s not been a great start of the season. With the injury, I’ve missed a lot of racing, so getting the first win for the year is a big relief.
“It’s super nice to win here in Napoli. It’s an iconic city, for sure, and as a sprinter in the Giro, many stages arrive here and it’s always a dream to win it.”
It was Groves’ second Giro win after a victory in 2023, to go with his seven Vuelta triumphs, the consummate ride once again demonstrating how he’s become a daredevil specialist in the wet.
“Once it started raining, I felt quite a bit better actually. I’m quite good in the colder, wetter conditions,” he smiled.
Mads Pedersen retained the race lead and the pink jersey after he had also been caught up in the earlier crash.
Organisers decided only the stage win would count and that no points, time gaps or bonuses would be awarded.
So the GC remained unchanged with the big contenders happy to wait for Friday’s first major summit finish in the seventh stage from Castel di Sangro to Tagliacozzo, where Pedersen’s lead is expected to disappear with Roglic just 17 seconds behind.
AAP
