Better late than never: Groenewegen moved up to third in Almería photo finish review
Dylan Groenewegen’s result at the Clásica de Almería has been amended, handing Unibet Rose Rockets an unexpected podium more than a week after the Spanish one-day race.
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The Dutch sprinter originally appeared to finish fourth on 15 February after a chaotic finale and a tight bunch sprint. Biniam Girmay took the win, with Milan Fretin in second, while Matteo Moschetti was initially listed as third and joined them on the podium.
Unibet Rose Rockets, the team led by Bas Tietema and racing under a French licence, immediately questioned the official result. With a wink on social media, the squad asked for the finish photo to be shared “on behalf of a friend”.
On Tuesday, the team revealed that a review of the photo finish had led to a correction. According to the updated classification, Groenewegen should have been credited with third place rather than fourth, meaning his sprint effort is now officially a podium.
Groenewegen did not get the chance to celebrate on the podium on the day, but his team made light of the update, joking towards Moschetti’s squad: “Pinarello Q36.5, you did not throw those flowers away, did you?”
The correction underlines a fast start to 2026 for Groenewegen, who has already won the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana and placed second on a stage at the Étoile de Bessèges. It also boosts Unibet Rose Rockets’ tally with 20 additional UCI points, taking the haul for Almería to 140 instead of 120.
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