Wout van Aert wins Vuelta stage three to keep red jersey

Race leader Wout van Aert, aged 29, outpaced Australia's Kaden Groves, 25, to secure victory in stage three of the Vuelta a España on Monday.

This win allowed the Belgian to avenge his second-place finish to Groves in the preceding stage while maintaining his position in the leader's jersey.

Van Aert, representing Visma-Lease a Bike, had been narrowly defeated by Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck in Sunday’s stage but managed to take the overall lead. After completing the 191.2 km journey from Lousa to Castelo Branco, he celebrated a triumphant debut in the Vuelta.

Spain's Jon Aberasturi Izaga from Euskaltel-Euskadi claimed third place in the sprint finish, while Van Aert extended his overall lead to 13 seconds over American Brandon McNulty, aided by a 10-second bonus for his stage victory.

Having finished third in the initial time trial, Van Aert was again the first to accelerate towards the finish line. This time, Groves could not match his pace, allowing the Belgian to finally enjoy a victory, his first since February.

"It is worthwhile to be patient. It has been quite some time since I could raise my arms in celebration, and it feels wonderful," Van Aert remarked.

"I believe I caught him off guard by launching my sprint before the 200-meter mark. It was the ideal sprint for me."

The early segment of the stage was characterized by a four-man breakaway, which included Luis Angel Mate, the oldest competitor at 40 years old. However, it was his Euskaltel-Euskadi teammate Xabier Isasa who managed to stay ahead the longest.

Isasa was ultimately caught with 20 kilometers remaining, setting the stage for the anticipated sprint finish. With limited sprint opportunities remaining in the Vuelta, Van Aert exerted every effort to avoid being denied victory for a second consecutive stage.

Stage four on Tuesday will transition the race into Spain after the initial segment in Portugal, featuring a 170.5-km mountain stage from Plasencia to Pico Villuercas.

"Regrettably, the enjoyment is over; tomorrow I will gladly pass the team leader responsibilities to Sepp (Kuss) and Cian (Uijtdebroeks)," Van Aert stated.