After hectic spring with Van der Poel and Philipsen, Kaden Groves targets Giro-Tour double

Kaden Groves will once again combine the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 2026, but first, a busy spring awaits alongside Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. The Australian sprinter has a packed schedule, he tells Wielerflits, and deliberately chooses a calm build-up: "Last year was really a success, so we have opted for the same preparation."

"I had a good training camp in Spain before heading to the Volta ao Algarve. It was quite a long build-up," Groves notes. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider delivered strong performances last year in Milan-San Remo (fifth), the Tour of Catalonia (second and third in stage finishes), and later won stages both in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France for his Belgian team.

That has whetted Groves' appetite for more. "Last year was really a success," he reflects. "That’s why we chose virtually the same preparation. I am starting off a bit slower to work towards the bigger targets: the classics and then the Giro-Tour double. It makes for a long season, and that should not be underestimated. That’s why it is quite important we opt for a relatively quiet start to the season."

A luxury problem
Last season, the number of Flemish races was limited due to an injury to just the Omloop and Kuurne, but this year the Australian will contest more cobbled classics. "It will be busy with the Opening Weekend, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, Dwars Door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix. And then there’s the Giro and the Tour, which makes it a big block," he lists.

"I don’t know if co-leader is the right word," says Groves when asked about his role in spring. Alpecin-Premier Tech naturally has two big leaders in Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. "I’ll support Jasper and Mathieu where needed and if I can. That’s actually a luxury problem to have. We have multiple options, so for each race we have to consider with which squad we can achieve the best result."

Results are very important to Groves. "Winning a monument is always the team’s goal. Whether that’s in San Remo, Flanders, or Roubaix," he explains.

Team director Frederik Willems of Alpecin-Premier Tech hopes Groves can race throughout the entire spring. "He rode a very strong Milan-San Remo last year and has gone to the Giro for two years in a row after a knee injury, so we hope he stays injury-free this year and can really contest the classics," he tells Wielerflits.

"If Mathieu is there, he will be in a support role, and in some other races, Groves will have more of a personal role. But the combination of classics and the Giro is this year’s main goal," says Willems.