Everybody knows that Tadej Pogačar hopes to add the red jersey of race leader in the Vuelta a España to his collection of Grand Tour triumphs this summer, but might he be in the running for the green jersey of points leader as well?
That’s exactly what Australian sprinter Kaden Groves is thinking, himself a winner of the Vuelta’s green jersey twice in the last three years, and back aiming for the top spot again in the 2026 race.
The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider is gunning for at least one stage win in the five flat – or not so hilly at the least – days that feature on this year’s Vuelta course, but the 27-year-old also has hopes of adding a third green jersey in Granada on September 13.
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However, as Groves told Cyclingnews, he believes the way the intermediate sprints have been placed in the stages means there’s every chance that, intentionally or not, the top favourite for the overall could take green as well.
“One stage win for me would be great, but we’re also looking at the green jersey, although it’ll be difficult,” Groves said.
“A lot of the intermediates are towards the ends of stages so it’s something that Tadej [Pogačar] could be collecting along the way, too.”
Globally, Groves says, he figures there are five chances of sprints, “maybe one more or less depending on if the break isn’t too strong.” But if the first one isn’t until late in the second week, stage 5 into Roquetes just inland from the Mediterranean coast, that could be a benefit in disguise.
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The Australian has had a very tough year, with injury seeing him out of the Tour of Italy, his first Grand Tour, on stage 4 following a very early crash. He’s still hunting his first win since the Tour de France late last year, in fact, taken in a spectacular solo break at Pontarlier just 24 hours before the race ended in Paris.
“It’s been an up-and-down year, but I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t in some sort of level and stage 5 being maybe the first real sprint stage that should give me a chance to ride into it.”
The Vuelta is a race for which Groves still has a soft spot too, because it was where he took his first-ever Grand Tour win in Cabo de Gata, way back in 2022. Since then there have been six more victories in the Vuelta alone as well as two stage wins in the Giro and that Tour win – just to focus on the Grand Tours. But his victory of four years ago on a day of baking heat on the southern Spanish coastline remains a very special one.
“It all happened on the same day that we lost [then teammate] Simon Yates to COVID-19, too,” Groves added, “so it was a nice way to finish a day which had started out very rough.”
Fast forward four years, and Groves is racing what may, according to strong rumours, be his last Grand Tour with Alpecin-Premier Tech. But if that’s the case – and it’s yeat to be confirmed – he feels he has a solid line-up of support riders and teammates to help him claim at least one last Grand Tour stage win, and for the team to go for their own options as well.
“The leadout’s fine, I’ve got Sente [Sentjens] and Lindsay [De Vylder], it’s their first Grand Tour so it’s a good opportunity for both of them as well.
“Then around them there’s a few experienced guys like Michael Gogl for the early part, then we have the second part of the team being climbing support like Hugo [Houle], Gal [Glivar], Francesco [Busatto] and again Michael. So I think we’ve got chances on all sides.”
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