La Vuelta a Espana 2020 Stage 8 - As it happened
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Updated 28/10/2020 at 16:53 GMT
La Vuelta a Espana 2020 - Relive the ebb and flow of Stage 8 of La Vuelta with live updates from Felix Lowe (aka Blazin' Saddles). The stage from Logroño to Moncalvillo proved a big one in the GC mix-up, with a substantial summit finish seeing Primoz Roglic eat into Richard Carapaz's lead.
Race leader and red jersey, Richard Carapaz of Ineos Grenadiers, during stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana 2020 / La Vuelta
Image credit: Getty Images
Watch Roglic's counterpunch to win Stage 8
Here's the moment the Slovenian countered Carapaz to take his second win of the race...
Richard Carapaz keeps the red jersey
When you factor in the differing bonus seconds both received, Roglic has slashed his deficit to 13 seconds (from 30 seconds) with that win. But today's runner up from Ecuador stays in the lead on a day he extended his lead over all his rivals - except the man who just picked up his second stage win.
So, a few changes in the top 10 as Martin moves above Carthy but both fall behind Roglic... Wout Poels, meanwhile, moves into the frame at the expense of George Bennett.
Victory for Primoz Roglic!
The Slovenian was just too strong... Carapaz moved to the front with 850m remaining but then Roglic threw down the hammer with a counterpunch which landed his rival on the canvas. The green jersey crosses the line 13 seconds clear - and with bonus seconds he'll almost be back in red tonight... Almost, but not quite. Carapaz takes second, Martin third, Vlasov fourth and Carthy fifth.
Here's the top 10 in the stage...
Final kilometre
Roglic now leads! The man in green surged clear to reel in Vlasov just under the flamme rouge. Carapaz then joined him and these two will duke it out for the win - with Vlasov trying to fight back and Martin further back.
1.5km to go: Vlasov goes clear
The Russian rejoins the four leaders and then rides clear - and there's no response because the Astana man is six minutes down on GC and so no threat. This looks to be a stage-winning move from Vlasov, who has 15 seconds on Carapaz, Roglic, Martin and Carthy.
2km to go: Mas in trouble
Dan Martin and Carthy are closing in on Carapaz and Roglic, but Mas is going backwards with Kuss. All that work from Movistar looks to be coming to nothing. Vlasov is also in the mix.
2.5km to go: Carapaz rallies
The red jersey and Primoz Roglic are now with Martin and Vlasov. They're not far behind the two leaders, but with Kuss up there, Roglic is lending Carapaz no hand. But the race leader from Ecuador looks so strong - he dances clear with Roglic and opens up a gap on the front. Carthy digs deep behind...
3.5km to go: Carthy attacks!
With the red jersey group down to just 10 riders, Carthy launches from the wheel of Woods and takes Kuss with him. Behind, Dan Martin leads the chase with Aleksandr Vlasoz as Esteban Chaves drifts off the back.
5km to go: EF take it up
With the main pack whittled down to around 25 riders, Amador and then Gesink peel off, their work for the day done. Yesterday's winner Mike Woods then comes to the front and pulls Hugh Carthy, his teammate, with him. The man from Lancashire is clearly feeling good today. Ivan Sosa has popped for Ineos. The likes of Carapaz, Mas, Kuss, Roglic and both Martins are still here.
6.5km to go: Valverde attacks!
The former world champion is the first rider to go clear. He rides off the front for a bit before getting pegged back as Robert Gesink and Andrey Amador come through to front the slimming pack.
8.5km to go: Alto de Moncavillo
It's time to climb! We're onto the Cat.1 Alto de Moncavillo (8.3km at 9.2%). The stats below are slightly skewed because they include the flatter apron to the climb, not the climb proper. Movistar still have five on the front as riders are being blown off the back - including Davide Formolo.
10km to go: Break swallowed up
Dyball and Dewulf are the two last riders from the break to be reabsorbed by the pack - a pack which has been whittled down to just 50 riders max thanks to the sustained pace set by the Movistar team of the Mas-Soler-Valverde trident, all three of whom are currently in the top 10 on GC.
15km to go: Amazing light
The sun is setting and catching the browned vines - it's quite an amazing site. The gap for the leaders is down to 18 seconds as they approach the final climb.
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La Vuelta | Stage 8
Image credit: Getty Images
20km to go: Six-man break clinging on
It won't be their day but Cavagna, Costa, Stannard, Dewulf, Dyball and Simon are giving it their all ahead of the final climb. Their gap is down to 35 seconds. It's worth mentioning that Wout Poels and Dan Martin are both towards the back of the peloton and look to be struggling a little. The Irishman is third on GC but said he wasn't going for the red jersey after his stage win last week.
26km to go: Madrazo calls it a day
Angel Madrazo is the first of the escapees to sit up and drop off. The Spaniard is swept up by the pack, which is now just 45 seconds back as they pass through a wonderful canyon (or is it a gorge? In fact, what is the difference...?).
30km to go: Less than a minute
The main peloton, which has around 90 riders including the GC favourites, is now just 55 seconds from the seven leaders, with the second peloton a further minute back after those splits. We think all the big guns are present and correct but you never know... In any case, you get the sense that this is going to be a key rendez-vous in the battle for red today. It's a tough climb being used for the first time in the Vuelta, one that almost rises to 1,500m and peaks at 12.5%.
38km to go: Splits in the pack!
This pressure from Movistar is paying off as numerous splits appear in the peloton... it's also sounded the death-knell for this seven-man break, whose lead is down to 1'30".
45km to go: Movistar back on the front
Andrey Amador and Ivan Sosa were on the front of the pack as Ineos led them over the summit - but it's the Movistar men of Enric Mas and Marc Soler who are now back on the nose as they take on this descent with aggression to string out the pack and reduce the arrears a little further.
50km to go: Cavagna takes KOM points
It's the Frenchman Remi Cavagna who leads the break over the top to pocket 5pts ahead of Simon and Stannard. That man Garcia was swept by the peloton, which comes over the top itself 2'35" in arrears.
54km to go: Garcia's hiding to nothing
Poor Jhojan Garcia, who was seemingly sent forward on a suicide mission from his Caja Rural DS. He's still 2'45" down on the seven leaders but the peloton is now breathing down his neck, just another 45 seconds back after an upping of the tempo by Movistar and a general stretching out on this climb. It doesn't look like this break will have enough time to stay out - although a lot will depend on that long descent. Someone like Rui Costa is a solid climber - but is he good enough to hold on once the GC battle erupts behind?
59km to go: Garcia launched
Straight away, Hector Saez peels off after acting as a pacer for his Caja Rural teammate Garcia. The Spaniard will continue on his own in pursuit of the seven leaders. He still has 2'45" to close so that's no easy task. Meanwhile, behind Movistas have sent a few riders onto the front of the pack as it moves onto the climb with a deficit of 4'45".
60km to go: Puerto de la Rasa
The intermediate sprint is won by Dewulf ahead of Cavagna and Costa. The break then almost instantaneously swings onto the Cat.2 climb which is 9.8km long at 5.3%. It's followed by a mammoth descent ahead of the final climb of the day.
62km to go: Carapaz laying low
Ineos may have three riders on the front, but the red jersey has not really been seen today. The Ecuadorian is keeping his powder dry further back alongside two other teammates and tucked in behind EF Pro Cycling's train and Primoz Roglic's Jumbo working bees. Those two Caja Rural chasers are now 3:35 down on the break with the main pack 5:07 down as they approach the intermediate sprint ahead of the climb.
67km to go: Caja Rural counter
From nowhere, two Caja Rural-Seguros RGA riders skip clear of the peloton in a bid to bridge over towards the break ahead of the climb. It's Jhojan Garcia and Hector Saez. That move smacks of a frantic radio through from the sporting director after an angry phone call from the team sponsor...
78km to go: Froome putting in a shift
We're onto the climb ahead of the first categorised climb, the Cat.2 Puerto de la Rasa. Chris Froome is back on the front earning his keep for Ineos.
85km to go: EF Pro Cycling in the mix
Tucked in just behind the Ineos train are the EF teammates of Britain's Hugh Carthy, who is currently 18 seconds down on Carapaz in second place on GC. The American team took a win yesterday after Michael Woods bounced back from his earlier disappointments by winning from the break. Five minutes now for the seven-man break.
90km to go: Ineos control the tempo
It's double Vuelta winner Chris Froome who is on the front of the pack on his snazzy custom-painted Dogma, tapping out tempo for his Ineos team and leader Richard Carapaz as they hold the break at 4'40" ahead of the first of two categorised climbs. The Aussie veteran Cameron Wurf, who was given a lifeline in a surprise move by Ineos, then takes over. The 37-year-old is having a solid race in his first Grand Tour for seven years.
Lovely scenery, colour and autumn colours today - check out this photo from earlier in the stage...
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La Vuelta | Stage 8
Image credit: Getty Images
106km to go: Costa with most wins
The gap was pushing five minutes but has come down a shade following a bike change by the Portuguese veteran Rui Costa. Of all the escapees, he's the most successful with 27 career wins to his name - including the world championships in Florence in 2013. Simon has 10 wins, Dyball nine, Cavagna five and Madrazo three (including a memorable Stage 5 scalp in last year's Vuelta where he yo-yoed off the front with a teammate on the first summit finish of the race). Stannard and Dewulf are still looking for their first pro wins.
Here's a photo of the breakaway in action today - there's been some lovely light and autumn colours along the way.
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The breakaway rides along during stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana 2020 / La Vuelta
Image credit: Getty Images
115km to go: Four minutes
The gap continues to grow for this seven-man move, which is now up and over an uncategorised leg-stretcher that saw the peloton drop four minutes back. There are no "dangermen" as such here in this move, but the best placed rider on GC is the one-time world champion, Rui Costa, who is 23'44" down on Carapaz in the standings.
Meet Britain's first black cycling champion
Maurice Burton, now 64 years old, has spoken to Eurosport's Orla Chennaoui about his experiences in cycling and what he thinks can be done to encourage more diversity at the top level of the sport in Britain.
Burton now owns a bike shop in Streatham, south London. A former racing cyclist from Catford, he was the first black British champion cyclist, winning the Junior Sprint national title in 1973 before going on to forge a career alongside the likes of the great Eddy Merckx. Read the full interview by clicking the link below...
35km to go: Simon joins leaders
The Frenchman makes the connection so we now have seven riders out clear with a gap that's growing by the pedal stroke. Over two minutes and counting...
140km to go: Two dropped
Philipsen and van der Sande couldn't keep up with the break, who now have 1'30" over the pack. There's one rider - Frenchman Julien Simon (Total Direct Energie) - who is trying to bridge over. They're going over a series of short kickers that punctuate the first half of the stage before the categorised climbs come along later on.
145km to go: Seven clear
That last move came to nothing but we have a fresh unit out ahead now including some familiar faces... They are: Robert Stannard (Mitchelton-Scott), Stan Dewulf and Tosh van der Sande (Lotto Soudal), Benjamin Dyball (NTT Pro Cycling), Angel Madrazo (Burgos-BH), Rui Costa and Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) and Rémi Cavagna (Deceuninck Quick-Step).
Cavanga was on the attack early yesterday, while Dewulf, Costa and Madrazo were all involved in some capacity in the larger break which formed later on.
155km to go: Attacks galore
Callum Scotson (Mitchelton-Scott) and Jesus Ezquerra (Burgos-BH) opened up a small gap on the pack but it came to nothing. With the bunch all stretched out, another 10 riders have managed to open up a small advantage - but they're not getting much leeway. Just like yesterday, it may take quite a bit of time to settle and before a proper break forms.
164km to go: They're off!
There's a flurry of attacks from the outset as this stage gets under way. The temperature is 14 degrees - cold enough for Primoz Roglic to stick to his bizarre green jersey and yellow gilet option. He attracted a lot of scorn for his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle look yesterday - including from EF Pro Cycling boss Jonathan Vaughters (who can hardly talk, given his team's jerseys for the Giro) - but I not only think he looks pretty rad, I'm pleased he hasn't kowtowed to the masses. Wear what you like, Primoz! As long as you're comfortable, then it's all good.
That said, the two-tone green clash between jersey and handlebars is a bit rum...
Dumoulin one of three non-starters
Dutch ace Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) will not start today's stage after being distanced yesterday once again on the day's main climb. "It is not desirable to leave the Vuelta, but this is the right choice," Dumoulin said. It's been a long season for the 2017 Giro champion - and it always seemed a bit strange that he was riding this race so soon after giving his all for Primoz Roglic in the Tour. He was over 42 minutes down on GC after dropping to 53rd yesterday.
Other non-starters are Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo) and Michal Golas (Ineos Grenadiers), the latter a big blow for the red jersey chances of teammate Richard Carapaz. As for Elissonde, he was fined and docked time yesterday for drafting; he, too, rode the Tour earlier this year and is fairly knackered. In a double blow for Trek, Matteo Moschetti finished outside the time limit yesterday as well.
Riders in the neutral zone
The remaining 157 riders are currently soft-pedalling through the neutral zone having rolled out of the start town of Logrono. It's a sunny day with not a cloud in a bright blue sky...
Hola, amigos! Ready for Stage 8?
Good afternoon, and it's Felix Lowe back in the Vuelta hot seat. Don't worry, Tom Owen will be returning tomorrow, but for today's summit finish you'll have to make do with yours truly. It's a 164km ride which twists and turns until the first Cat.2 climb and then concludes with a slog up the Cat.1 Alto de Moncavillo.
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La Vuelta Stage 8 Profile - Big day for GC or one for the breakaway?
RELIVE A MEMORABLE WIN FOR TAO AND INEOS IN ITALY
While we're warming up, why not relive Tao Geoghegan Hart's stunning win at the Giro d'Italia, and then pray to the cycling gods that the same drama will be served up in Spain.
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Tao's fairytale: How Geoghegan Hart and Ineos won Giro
HOW TO WATCH LA VUELTA LIVE – TV & LIVE STREAMING
The Vuelta a Espana is live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport App.
Each day Eurosport.co.uk will stream uninterrupted coverage of each stage. We will also have rolling coverage online on the website and our social channels.
And don't forget, we are bringing you daily podcasts from the Bradley Wiggins Show - check in with your podcast platform of choice each evening.
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