Seb Kuss wins the 2023 race as Caden Groves reaches the final stage
Sepp Kuss won the Vuelta a Espana while Caden Groves had a dramatic final stage in Madrid.
Koss became the first American to win a Grand Tour since Chris Horner won the same race 10 years ago.
His Jumba-Visma team dominated the podium with Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard taking second place and Giro d’Italia winner Primoz Roglic third.
Groves sprinted to victory on the final stage, and was on the verge of holding off the peloton.
This was the Australian’s third stage win. He was a breakaway from six men and made the decisive move 37 kilometers before the end of the 100 km stage consisting of 20 laps around the Spanish capital.
The peloton continued to break away in the final meters but Groves, who took the overall sprinter’s jersey, crossed the line ahead of Italy’s Filippo Ganna and Nico Dinz of Germany.
Koss and his teammates escaped trouble in what was a parade stage for the general classification and associated arms as they finished by securing a clean sweep of this season’s Grand Tours, becoming the first team to do so.
“It’s unbelievable,” Kos told Eurosport. “I think today is the stage where I struggled the most during the whole race, so now I’m happy it’s over.
“It will change my life for sure, but I will still be me. I will look back on this experience with a lot of good memories. It all still really sinks in with me. It’s just going to take some time.”
Stage 21 results:
1. Caden Groves (Australia/Alpecin-DesignInc) 2 hours 24 minutes 13 seconds
2. Filippo Ganna (ETA/Ineos Grenadiers) at the same time
3. Nico Deans (GER/Bora-Hansgrohe) at the same time
4. Hugo Page (Fra/Intermarche-Circus-Wanty) at the same time
5. Ivan Garcia Cortina (Team Spa/Movistar) at the same time
6. Rui Costa (by/intermarch-circus-wanty) at the same time
7. Marine of the Mountain (Down/EC Education-EasyPost) at the same time
8. Remco Evenepoel (Bell/Soudal Quick Step) at the same time
9. Dries van Gestel (Bel/TotalEnergies) Meanwhile
10 Lenard Kamna (GER/Bora-Hansgrohe) at the same time
Final general classification after stage 21:
1. Sepp Koss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) 76 hours 48 minutes 21 seconds
2. Jonas Vinggaard (Dn/Jumbo-Visma) +17 seconds
3. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 08sec
4. John Ayuso (Saba/United Arab Emirates Team) +3 minutes and 18 seconds
5. Mikel Landa (Saba/Bahrain Victorious) +3 minutes and 37 seconds
6. Enrique Mas (Team Spa/Movistar) +4 minutes and 14 seconds
7. Alexander Vlasov (Ross/Bora-Hansgrohe) +7 minutes and 53 seconds
8. Sian Uijtdebrix (Bell/Bora-Hansgrohe) +8 minutes 00 seconds
9. Joao Almeida (United Arab Emirates Team) +10 minutes and 8 seconds
10. Santiago Buitrago (Colonel/Bahrain Victorious) +11 minutes and 38 seconds
Other selected:
23. Hugh Carthy (GBR/EF Education-EasyPost) + 1 hour 19 minutes 25 seconds
31. Geraint Thomas (GBR/Ineos Grenadiers) +1 hour 47 minutes 59 seconds
49. Max Ball (GBR/Team dsm-firmenich) +2 hours 17 minutes and 18 seconds
65. James Knox (GBR/Soudal Quick Step) +2 hours 38 minutes and 31 seconds
105. Lewis Askey (GBR/Groupama-FDJ) +3 hours 34 minutes 07 seconds
116. Sean Flynn (UK/DSM-firmenich) +3 hours 46 minutes and 39 seconds
123. Samuel Watson (GBR/Groupama-FDJ) +3 hours 56 minutes and 03 seconds.
