Withdrawals of van der Poel and Philipsen fueled emotional Groves: "There’s so much pressure here"

The emotions ran high for many reasons. The difficult days Alpecin-Deceuninck had endured were one of them. “We came here with so many different plans with Jasper and Mathieu, and in the end, I got my own chances,” Groves explained in the flash interview. “It hadn't worked out for me so far, but today I had super legs. I was suffering enormously until the finish line, but I was rewarded with a Tour stage.”

It wasn't even clear whether the Australian sprinter would focus on the hilly stage through the Ain. “The team has given me a free role in the last few days. Today, we weren't sure whether we would go for me or save our energy for tomorrow. But when it starts raining, I always excel. It's my first solo, and it's in the Tour. Unbelievable.”

Many young boys dream of winning a stage in the Tour de France, but for Groves, it's different. “It's not really a childhood dream, because I started cycling later in life. But there's so much pressure here. I had already won in the Giro and the Vuelta, but all people ask is: are you good enough to win a Tour stage? Now I've shown them.” Groves won a stage in the Giro in 2023 and repeated that achievement this year. In the Vuelta, he won a total of seven stages in the last three editions.

With such a strong breakaway group, it was not certain that the fast man would take the victory on this course. “I tried to play my cards right to get into the early breakaway. The start uphill was tough. But once I was at the front, it was a matter of thinning out the group. I knew that Jorgenson and Wellens would be watching each other. I tried to put them behind me.”

This put Groves in a seven-man breakaway group. That was quickly reduced to three men by a crash involving Iván Romeo and Romain Grégoire. “After the crash, Van den Broek attacked, and I had to close the gap. Then he and Stewart looked at each other, and I was able to go full throttle until the last 200 meters.” Will the sprinter also go for the win in the final stage? “I'm going to enjoy this and celebrate with my team. Tomorrow, I'll enjoy the Champs-Elysées.”

Team manager Christoph Roodhooft celebrated his third stage victory after waiting a long time. The way it happened was particularly special. “I have to admit that I didn't expect it to happen this way,” the Belgian told NOS. “When he was in the breakaway, with all those strong riders on that course in those conditions, you know he's having a good day.”

That's why they kept believing in the Australian, even though he was alone against a whole bunch of good climbers. “He was clearly in a rhythm in the last few days, but the route wasn't right for him. He got into the breakaway and remained very calm, keeping a close eye on everything. When Sweeney pulled away, it was a tricky moment, but that also brought us 20 kilometers closer to the finish.”

The Tour de France was already a success for Alpecin-Deceuninck, but now it's even better. "It's actually unbelievable. We started the Tour fantastically, and we're finishing it in style. Tomorrow is another day, but today we have three stage wins with three different riders. I don't think there's anything more for us to achieve in that respect in the Grand Tours."