Vuelta a España stage 21: Sepp Kuss crowned champion as Kaden Groves wins thriller finale

Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) negotiated the repeat laps of Madrid to seal the overall title at the 2023 Vuelta a España on Sunday evening, as the Spanish Grand Tour came to a thrilling conclusion with a rare breakaway victory.

As with the Tour de France, the Madrid finale is regarded as a procession before the laps up and down the Castellana and Gran Vía, where a bunch sprint is a near inevitability. But not this time.

Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), arguably the race's strongest sprinter and wearing the green jersey as points classification leader, prevailed in the end, but not in the way you might have thought.

The Australian was part of a stunningly strong breakaway that was formed on the early laps but ignited when Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), named the Vuelta's most combative rider that morning, lived up to his title and launched an attack just inside the final 40km. Groves jumped to mark him, and Hour Record holder Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenaiders) added yet more firepower and star quality.

That trio linked up with a trio already out in front: Rui Costa (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and the Bora-Hansgrohe duo of Lennard Kamna and Nico Denz. The latter was the only one yet to win a stage at this Vuelta, and they combined to conjure the unlikeliest of scenarios.

It was touch-and-go throughout the final 25km, and it looked like it was all over with 3km to go as the peloton reduced the gap to just seven seconds. But then, assuming it was done, they blew it.

It looked like the leaders might blow it themselves, as they suddenly stalled in the home straight, but Evenepoel blinked first, opened the sprint from distance, allowing Groves to take the slipstream before reaching out for the win, albeit a more laboured one than he'd ordinarily have produced.

Ganna rounded a flagging Evenepoel to take second place, with Denz third, and to give you an idea of how tight it was between break and bunch, it was Hugo Page (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) who took fourth place as the groups merged together in the final 100 metres.

© Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images

Groves dives for the line

"I came into today wanting to win the green jersey and take the stage, but from the breakaway... that was not my intention," Groves said.

"Remco this morning was a threat to the green jersey, and I suspected he might try something - not to take the jersey but to win the stage. I knew I had to follow him when he went.

"I didn't want to pull the guys in the last kiloemtre because then it would take away from my sprint. We all looked at each other and the peloton could come back together but I knew that in a sprint I can findd a little extra, and Remco leading out from 500 metres was a big advantage to me."

"It's special," Groves added, becoming the first Australian to win the Vuelta's green jersey, having picked up three stage wins along the way. "This victory of the jersey and the three stages means a lot to me."

Sepp Kuss crowned king of Spain

As he did 24 hours previously, Sepp Kuss dropped off the back of the bunch in the home straight in order to cross the line arm-in-arm with his teammates. This was not just a celebration of the US rider's remarkable underdog victory, but of the team's success as a whole in 2023.

The Dutch team had been granted permission to swap their standard-issue yellow and black kit for a commemorative black design that featured stripes of pink, yellow, and red - to mark their clean sweep of all three Grand Tours this season.

Primož Roglič, winner of that pink jersey at the Giro in May, and Jonas Vingegaard, winner of yellow at the Tour de France in July, posed for photographs with Kuss earlier in the stage, before the whole squad filled the road to cross the line together in Madrid.

"I had a feeling it would be a fast stage when I saw those guys getting ready to attack, and I suffered more today than I did on the Angliru, but it was a nice way to finish it off," Kuss said.

• Read more: Chris Horner: Jumbo-Visma backed Sepp Kuss in Vuelta a España due to fans' outcry and PR nightmare

© Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images

The Jumbo-Visma riders cross the line together

Kuss' victory will go down as one of the great tales of the most loyal and subservient of athletes having their day in the spotlight. There were moments of tension and controversy, not least when Roglič and Vingegaard repeatedly rode away from him in the final week, but he appeared to rise to the occasion, tap into a little of that cold blood he said he didn't possess, and assume his status as a worthy Grand Tour champion.

His victory took root in his stage 6 breakaway victory, and he took red two days later and never relinquished it. Vingegaard rode to victory on the Col du Tourmalet in the second week, with Kuss second and Roglič third, and the final week confirmed that the race for the red jersey was between three riders from the same team.

Vingegaard took another chunk on the opening mountain stage of the final week, and when Roglič drove the pair away on the Angliru, Kuss had to scramble to save his jersey as outrage spread over his teammates' actions.

The following day, there was more of a united front, as the two more decorated stars eventually fell in line and supported the rider that has helped them to six Grand Tours between them. The question now is whether they all belong on the same level, but that's a matter for another day.

"I'll still be me," Kuss said. "It's life-changing for sure, and I think I'll look back on this experience with a lot of fond memories. It's still sinking in. I think that's going to take quite some time.

"My friends and family are here, and that's going to be really special. Also I'll be with the riders and staff and tell the stories of the past three weeks - just so many memories and good times."

© Sprint Cycling Agency

Kuss looks at his trophy - he's a Grand Tour winner

The jersey winners

The podium ceremony took place as dusk fell on the Spanish capital, with Kuss joined by his two teammates as Jumbo-Visma locked out the podium in another stunning indication of their dominance. Kuss was later joined on stage by the other classification winners.

Red (GC) - Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma)

The US rider sealed the title with a final and unchanged winning margin of 17 seconds over Vingegaard and 1:08 over Roglič. Dropping off the back of the bunch once again to celebrate, they conceded a few more seconds to the rest, so Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) ends the race at 3:18 as best of the non-Jumbo rest, with Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) rounding out the top five at 3:37.

Green (points) - Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

This was the one that wasn't certain at the start of the day, with Evenepoel mathematically able to snatch it, which is why Groves marked him so tightly when he attacked. Ultimately, the two went clear and sprinted it out. By that point, whichever way it fell, Groves would have sealed green, but he did so with a win. Groves ended up on 315 points to Evenepoel's 236.

Polka-dot (mountains) - Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)

The Belgian champion did have a jersey of his own, having sealed the mountains classification a couple of days earlier. Evenepoel won the opening summit finish in Andorra and, despite dropping out of overall contention, rode to two further stage wins in the mountains. He ended the race on 135 points, with Vingegaard his closest challenger way back on 51.

White (young rider) - Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates)

The Spaniard may have been a little disappointed not to have repeated his stunning podium - on Grand Tour debut - here 12 months ago, but he could still content himself that he was the best of the youngsters, with a hugely bright future. The next best under-25 was Cian Uijdtebroecks (Bora-Hansgrohe), 8th overall, with Ayuso's teammate Joao Almeida, ninth overall, the third best youngster.

© Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images

The jersey winners of the 2023 Vuelta a España

Teams classification - Jumbo-Visma

No prizes for guessing this one. With all three steps of the podium locked up, it could only have been Jumbo-Visma. Bahrain Victorious and Bora-Hansgrohe were best of the rest, but there was only one team in it.

Combativity award (no jersey) - Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)

In addition to his trio of stage wins, the Belgian came close in two other breakaways, and was always up the road as he looked to salvage his race. He was awarded the overall combativity prize on Sunday morning and repaid the organisers with the attack that produced such a pulsating finale on the streets of Madrid.

Keep up to date with all of the latest racing news from the Vuelta a España on our dedicated race page, linked here.