Vuelta a España 2024: Pavel Bittner (Team dsm-Firmenich PostNL) wins stage 5 in Sevilla(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Pavel Bittner (Team dsm-Firmenich PostNL) edges Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) at the line in Sevilla for stage 5 victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Stage winner Pavel Bittner of Team dsmFirmenich PostNL reacts after finish in Seville(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Giovanni Aleotti of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leads the peloton headed into the city limits of Sevilla (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The front duo of Ibon Ruiz (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) held the lead until 38km to go(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) rides in front of breakaway companion Ibon Ruiz (Equipo Kern Pharma) as gap begins to decrease with 90km to go(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Robert Gesink and riders of Team Visma-Lease a Bike lead the peloton(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Ibon Ruiz (Equipo Kern Pharma) compete in the breakaway, four minutes up with 125km to go(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Race leader Primož Roglič of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe competes on 177km stage 5 from Fuente del Maestre to Seville(Image credit: Getty Images)
A view of the peloton competing on the rolling roads in the first half of stage 5(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) cools off during stage 5(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The fans refresh the peloton on the early part of stage 5(Image credit: Getty Images)
João Almeida of UAE Team Emirates cools off during stage 5(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The peloton starts in Fuente del Maestre(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Antonio Tiberi of Bahrain Victorious on White Best Young Rider Jersey lines up at start next to Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike in the Green Points Jersey in Fuente del Maestre(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Pavel Bittner (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) won stage 5 of the Vuelta a España after he edged out Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) in a tight bunch finish in Seville.
Van Aert launched his sprint from distance, but Bittner managed to get back on terms with the Belgian and then beat him with an expertly-timed bike throw on the banks of the Guadalquivir River.
Kaden Groves, whose Alpecin-Deceuninck squad led out the sprint, had to settle for third place after he was caught off guard by Van Aert’s decision to open his effort from a long way out.
Bittner had shown his quality with his brace of stage wins at the recent Vuelta a Burgos and the Czech was full value for his victory in his debut Grand Tour.
Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished safely in the main peloton to retain the red jersey of race leader. The Slovenian remains eight seconds clear of João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and 32 seconds ahead of Enric Mas (Movistar) in the overall standings.
The Vuelta peloton faced another day of soaring temperatures as the race made its way south into Andalusia, and there was an understandably subdued feel to proceedings for much of the afternoon.
Early escapees Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Ibon Ruiz (Kern Pharma) escaped with little resistance from the bunch, building a lead of more than three minutes before they were gradually reeled back in.
The attackers were caught with a shade under 40km to go, shortly after a brief injection of pace in the peloton due to the mild threat of crosswinds. Groves beat Van Aert to the intermediate sprint with 25km remaining, and the intensity ratcheted upwards from there as the peloton hurtled towards the centre of Seville and the finish line in the shadow of the Maestranza bullring.
