Australia's Kaden Groves secured his third stage win of the Vuelta a Espana with a perfectly timed sprint in Stage 17, taking advantage of wet conditions in Santander. Czech rider Pavel Bittner and Belgium’s Vito Braet finished second and third respectively. Australian Ben O’Connor maintained his five-second overall lead over Slovenian Primoz Roglic. The stage marked Santander's first Vuelta finish in over 20 years and a stage departure in a decade. A leading group of four riders was caught by the peloton within the final kilometre. Groves, who took over the green points jersey after Wout van Aert's crash-induced exit, praised his team's efforts in controlling the race dynamics.