Groves and Alpecin-Deceuninck now eyeing the green jersey in Vuelta: "The system is a bit strange"

The fifth stage of the Vuelta a España was once again claimed by Kaden Groves from Alpecin-Deceuninck on Wednesday. The Australian was obviously delighted with his victory and the fact that he is now more firmly in the lead in the battle for the green jersey.

"My second consecutive win in this Vuelta, it's an amazing feeling," Groves began before the flash interviewer could even ask him a question. "Especially since I won in the green jersey." In that classification, Groves already has a solid lead of sixty points over the second-place, Andrea Vendrame from AG2R Citroën.

"It was another hectic finish, just like Tuesday. The wind also played a role, but the team did great," he thanked his teammates from Alpecin-Deceuninck. "With 2.5 kilometers to go, we lost two guys due to a crash, but we still managed to organize ourselves." In the sprint, Groves then held off a surprisingly strong Filippo Ganna.

Ten kilometers from the finish, Groves also had to show his skills at the intermediate sprint. There he met a notable opponent in red jersey-wearer Remco Evenepoel, which the two analyzed in a fun way afterward. "Remco wanted the bonus seconds, while I could easily snatch a few points. That's good for the green jersey."

Alpecin-Deceuninck also joins battle for the green jersey in the Vuelta 

Team manager Frederik Willems was very pleased with his team's performance on Eurosport. "This win is even more special. It was quite technical, with many roundabouts. The team controlled it very well and delivered a nice lead-out. The roads were quite wet near the coast, which is why we also had some falls during the sprint preparation. There's nothing you can do about that," he concluded on Eurosport.

Meanwhile, the green jersey has also become a target for the Belgian team. "We have two wins now, so as a sprint team, you automatically enter the battle for the green jersey. The system is a bit strange, with only thirty points for this stage at the finish, but twenty points along the way," noted the sports director.

Lead-out Ghys: "Two out of two is insane"

Sprint lead-out Robbe Ghys was understandably ecstatic afterward. Whereas the Belgian, who also has a track cycling background, couldn't perform his task a day earlier due to a crash in the final kilometer, he was able to showcase his lead-out skills for Groves in the fifth stage. "After yesterday, we had such a good feeling. We started the stage with so much confidence and we knew this stage would be ours. Everyone on the team delivered, it's such a beautiful day," a joyful Ghys told Eurosport.

Just like with Groves' first win, the lead-up to the sprint was hectic. "One of our teammates fell. I think it's Tobias (Bayer, ed.), I hope he's okay. It's part of the race. The win is what ultimately counts," said Ghys. "To win two out of two in my first grand tour is insane. It's unbelievable."