Czech rider Bittner upsets favoured sprinters to edge stage 5 at Vuelta
by AFP · The42PAVEL BITTNER DEFIED the odds to beat favoured sprinters Wout van Aert and Kaden Groves in a dash to the finish on stage five of the Vuelta a Espana on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Czech rider took the challenge to the sprinters at the end of a flat 177km run from Fuente del Maestre to Seville, edging Belgian star Van Aert to the line.
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“It’s unbelievable,” Bittner told Eurosport. “Only a few days ago I got my first pro win, so to get my first win at my first Vuelta, I still can’t believe it.
“To beat Wout van Aert, one of the best long sprinters in the world, is just crazy. I told the guys today that we could do it and I really believed in it. When the opportunity came, I really went for it, full gas.”
Primoz Roglic remains in the leader’s red jersey as he seeks a record-equalling fourth Vuelta title. Van Aert is in green as the sprinter with the most points.
Roglic, who won the first mountain stage on Tuesday, leads Joao Almeida by eight seconds overall. Enric Mas is third at 32sec.
Cork’s Eddie Dunbar remains in 38th place in the general classification after finishing 94th today while Grand Tour debutant Darren Rafferty crossed the line in 113rd place, leaving him in 105th place in the general classification.
The peloton heads back into the mountains on Thursday for stage six, which features four categorised climbs along the 185.5km route between Jerez de la Frontera and Yunquera.