Vuelta: Groves wins stage, Van Aert takes red jersey, Tarling avoids injury in crash | Vuelta a España

Australian rider Kaden Groves sprinted to victory in stage two of the Vuelta a España on Sunday, while Wout van Aert took the overall leader’s red jersey.

Groves of Team Alpecin-Deceuninck prevailed in a hectic finish against Van Aert (Visma‑Lease a Bike), who had previously completed a relatively quiet 194km ride from the Portuguese coastal town of Cascais to Ourém in the north of the country's interior. New Zealander Corbin Strong (Israel Premier Tech) came in third.

Van Aert was frustrated at failing to win a stage for the second year in a row after finishing third in the first time trial on Saturday, but six bonus seconds helped the Belgian secure the red jersey.

“Of course I wanted to win this stage. My team did a really good job and made it a bunch sprint, so it's unfortunate to finish second. But today I knew that a place in the top three would mean the red jersey. So in the end it was a good day,” said Van Aert.

Several riders were involved in a crash in the final 4 km. British rider Josh Tarling of Ineos Grenadiers was lucky to avoid serious injury when he crashed into a wall. Everyone managed to reach the finish line and lost no time.

The race became exciting on the descent of a late climb as the riders raced towards the finish at a top speed of over 80 km/h. In the bunch sprint, Van Aert made the first attack, but Groves timed his effort well and took the win. It was the Australian's fifth stage win at the Vuelta.

“It's a really nice start to this Vuelta,” said Groves. “It's been a tough year for me, I haven't had a win yet, but I came here highly motivated to change that and I have to thank my team for a really strong ride today.”

The third stage on Monday is the last in Portugal and takes the riders from Lousã to Castelo Branco.

Jonas Vingegaard, meanwhile, won the Tour of Poland, making a triumphant return to the race where it all began for the two-time Tour de France winner. The Danish rider decided against taking part in the Vuelta a España after a grueling Tour de France in which he finished second, having been out of action for three months following a crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in April.

Instead, he returned to Poland, where he had taken his first UCI World Tour victory in 2019, triumphing on stage 6. Although he didn't win a stage this time, he went one better by winning the race overall.

“Everything went according to plan,” said Vingegaard. “After the Tour de France, I felt like I had recovered 100% from the injury. This season I learned to enjoy the moment and not make long-term plans. Now I need a break and then I will think about the future.”