Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck clinched an emotional victory in the 20th stage of the Tour de France, marking his first stage win at the prestigious race. He finished with a time of 4:06:09, outpacing Frank van den Broek and Pascal Eenkhoorn, who secured second and third places, respectively. Groves expressed his joy at the win, saying, “There are so many emotions to win here. The team gave me a free role in the last days… But today I had super legs. I just suffered to the line.”
This victory added to Groves’ impressive record, as he became the 114th rider to win a stage in all three Grand Tours: the Tour de France, Vuelta a España, and Giro d’Italia. He shared insights on the challenges of the day, acknowledging that the uphill start was tough and he had to play his cards wisely during the race.
In the General Classification (GC), Tadej Pogacar retained his lead with a total time of 73:55:14, followed by Jonas Vingegaard, who trails by 4:24 minutes. Pogacar’s consistency has earned him the coveted yellow jersey as he eyes a potential fourth Tour title, while he also secured the polka dot jersey for King of the Mountains earlier in the race.
As the Tour nears its conclusion, the excitement builds for the iconic final stage along the Champs-Élysées. With Groves’ significant win and Pogacar’s overarching dominance, fans can expect a thrilling celebration of cycling prowess in the coming days. The resilience and determination exhibited by the riders continue to illustrate the depth of talent within the peloton, particularly highlighted this year by young talents like Groves.
Thus, the stage is set for a climactic finish to the 2023 Tour de France, blending high emotions with the triumph of athletic spirit as the riders approach Paris.