Pavel Bittner 6th on first sprint showdown at La Vuelta

Pavel Bittner avoided a late crash at the front of the peloton late on to be able to sprint for the stage on day two at La Vuelta a España, crossing the line in sixth place after a strong effort to the line. Teammate Max Poole was unfortunately involved in the crash but managed to finish in good shape and will be assessed this evening for any damage done.
The stage was earmarked by the sprinters throughout the peloton and the way it unfolded always made it look like it would be a fast bunch finish. Despite the early attacks, in the second half of the stage everything was back together and the pace was set at the front of the bunch to put off any further attacks, even over the day’s final climb before the fast run-in to the finish. Having spent much of the stage keeping Poole and Bittner in the wheels and out the wind, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL set about bringing the two up to the front in the closing kilometres. A crash within the final four kilometres took out Poole and derailed the lead-out, but he will receive the same time as the stage winner. At the front, Bittner was dropped off by Martijn Tusveld heading into the finish and managed to take sixth on the line.
Bittner said after the finish: “I think I did the best I could in the final. I got dropped off on the wheel of Groves and Martijn was there for me in the final. Chapeau to all the guys. Actually it was quite an easy day before we lit it up on the final climb. There was also the crash and I hope Max is OK. For me, I think I can build on this first stage. Tomorrow, the final is a bit more sketchy and narrow, but there we can show our teamwork even better and we’ll see how it goes.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Phil West also commented: “It was a long old day with the wind out there, a slow burn but it was quite draining. We did what we needed to do during the stage. Then in the final a few crashes in the last climb didn’t help the situation, but we were still able to bring Pavel into a really good spot and then he had good support from Max, Tim and Martijn really late in the final where we could hit the front and get him in position. In the end, I think we can be happy with the outcome and we go again tomorrow.”