Aussie Groves makes podium but misses out at Giro

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Aussie Groves makes podium but misses out at Giro

Kaden Groves got it all right to prevail in the sprint finale to the 14th stage as the Giro d’Italia had a warmly greeted stopover in Slovenia – but, alas for the Queensland speedster, it was only enough to earn him the runner-up prize for the day.

For 16 seconds up ahead in the finale to the stage at Nova Gorica on Saturday, Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen, who’d got into an early breakaway, escaped on his own to steal the win which had looked tailor-made for the sprinters.

Groves, who had been looking for another win in the 108th Giro after victory on the ******-laden sixth stage in Naples, had to settle for second this time in the 168km trek from across the border in Treviso as the Alpecin-Deceuninck ace edged out Dutchman Olav Kooij, winner of Thursday’s stage 12.

For Groves that’s now four top-five finishes in this year’s race but this one will doubtless come as a frustration on a wet, slippery day after Asgreen stole a march from the breakaway five kilometres from home, splashing away to his second Grand Tour win.

Behind him there had been chaos after a ****** which enabled the overall race leader Isaac del Toro to gain time on many of his biggest rivals who’d been slowed by the pile-up about 22km from the finish that occurred on a narrow cobblestoned section.

Del Toro, the first ******** rider to wear the leader’s pink jersey, benefited by featuring in the second group containing Groves.

But his UAE Team Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso, 2023 champion Primoz Roglic and top-placed Italian Antonio Tiberi all finished further behind, along with Australia’s main GC hope Michael Storer.

“We wanted to be ahead in case accidents like that happen or there are splits in the group,” said del Toro.

He entered the stage 38 seconds up on Ayuso and improved his lead to 1 minute 20 seconds, but his nearest challenger now is Briton Simon Yates (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) with his Spanish teammate dropping to third, 1:26 behind.

The 2019 champion Richard Carapaz is fourth, 2:07 behind; and Roglic is 2:23 adrift in fifth, with Storer now 13th at 4:25.

Mads Pedersen, who might have fancied a fifth stage win of the race, also had his chances ended in the ****** and had to change bikes.

“In the second half of a Grand Tour, everybody has tired legs and that made the difference today for the breakaway to be successful,” Asgreen said.

“The weather conditions have definitely played in my favor. The final circuit was quite technical. Wet roads made it harder for the bunch to catch us.”

Stage 15 on Sunday will feature a big climb up Monte Grappa at the mid-point of the 219km route from Fiume Veneto to Asiago.

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