'It's a hard pill to swallow' – Wout van Aert suffers near miss after Visma reel in break at Vuelta a España

Wout van Aert finishes second to Kaden Groves on stage 14 of the Vuelta a España
Wout van Aert finishes second to Kaden Groves on stage 14 of the Vuelta a España (Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite his disappointment, Wout van Aert could only smile when the question was put to him in the mixed zone in Villablino, where Kaden Groves had just pipped him to victory on stage 14 of the Vuelta a España.

"In Danish, we have a saying: 'The surgery went well but the patient died.' Was it a case of that today?" the reporter asked.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.