Two Grand Tour debutants from the Czech Republic are taking part in the Vuelta a Espana and both are clearly keen to prove that they have not just come to look around. Mathias Vacek, on the other hand, has already made a name for himself with second place in the first time trial. His compatriot, Pavel Bittner, also 22 years old, had to wait one more stage before he could prove his sprinting qualities with sixth place in Ourém.
“I think I did my best in the finale. I got caught on Groves’ rear wheel and Martijn was there for me in the finale. Hats off to all the guys. It was actually a pretty easy day before we really stepped on the gas on the last climb,” Bittner said, analyzing the stage.
Unfortunately, Max Poole, the overall leader of the dsm-firmenich PostNL team, was involved in a crash three kilometers from the finish. That would be a very sad end to Poole’s Vuelta, as the Brit has only just recovered from a broken elbow that kept him out of action for half the season. “There was also the crash and I hope Max is OK.”
For Bittner, sixth place is a more than successful Vuelta debut, but he is still hoping for an even better result in the coming stages. Perhaps as early as the third stage, which is likely to end in a mass sprint again. “For me, I think I can build on this first stage. Tomorrow’s finale is a bit trickier and closer, but we can show our teamwork even better and then we’ll see how it goes.”
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