Groves hangs in through climbs for another Volta a Catalunya podium

Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2022 - 101st Edition - 6th stage Salou - Cambrils 167.6 km - 26/03/2022 - Kaden Groves (AUS - Team BikeExchange - Jayco) - photo Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency©2022.
Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco) takes third on stage 6 at Volta a Catalunya 2022, winning the sprint from the bunch for third after the break of Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) and Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) secured the first two places (Image credit: Sprint Cycling Agency)

Most of the sprinters at the the Volta a Catalunya were languishing at the back of field on the fast starting, climb strewn stage 6 but Kaden Groves was one that managed to maintain a place in the 40-strong chase group behind Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) and Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe). In the end there was no catching the pair but having a fast finisher still in the bunch meant BikeExchange-Jayco was rewarded for its persistence with a podium place and high hopes for the season ahead.

It was no easy day of racing at the Volta a Catalunya on Saturday, with a downpour in Salou to kick off the168.6 stage with three categorised climbs, the first coming at just 41km from the start. Add a tight GC competition into the mix, with the top 3 riders within seven seconds at the start of the stage, and any hope that it would be anything but a brutal ride through the stage with 3,013 metres of vertical ascent went out the window. 

Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.