On Saturday, August 30, Arne Marit earned his first Grand Tour podium, finishing third in the bunch sprint in Zaragoza at the end of the eighth stage of the Vuelta a España.
Two years after Boy van Poppel also secured his first podium by finishing third in Zaragoza, the Belgian sprinter’s result was a reward for the hard work of his teammates, who protected him all day in preparation for the final sprint.
Well-positioned as he entered the final hundred meters, Marit was only beaten by Jasper Philipsen and Ethan Vernon. This marks his third podium finish of the season, after his successes at the Tour Down Under and the Famenne Ardenne Classic.
“Our team has shown great cohesion every day on this Vuelta, and it's reflected in our performances, whether it's in the preparation for a sprint or in the team time trial. We were out for revenge today after learning from the first stage, where our sprint train was well-coordinated but came too late. To prepare for the final stretch, we benefited from the valuable advice of our former teammate Boy van Poppel, who finished third on this exact finish line two years ago. Thanks to the dedication of my teammates and the perfect execution of the plan, we secured this third place. We're now looking forward to the mountain stages, where we'll support Louis Meintjes in the fight for the general classification, as well as Kamiel Bonneu and Simone Petilli in their efforts to join a breakaway.”
