Vuelta a España stage 8 – Live coverage

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 8 of the Vuelta a España.

It's another day for the GC riders today as the peloton tackles the Alto de Moncalvillo. The 8.3-kilometre long climb averages 9.2 per cent gradient but has even steeper stretches. It should be a good one!

The big news from the race this morning is that Tom Dumoulin has abandoned due to fatigue. The Dutchman was lying over 42 minutes down on GC heading into the day.

Read the full story here

Pedro Delgado and Movistar women's rider Sheyla Gutierrez have previewed today's climb if you want a look at it before the riders race later today.

There are two other non-starters today. Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo) and Michal Golas (Ineos Grenadiers) join Dumoulin in leaving the race.

The riders are in the neutralised zone at the moment.

Today's final climb has never been featured in the Vuelta before. It did host a finish at the 1994 Vuelta a Rioja, though. There, a young José María Jiménez took an early victory, chasing down Alex Zülle before leaving the Swiss rider behind on the steep slopes.

There have been attacks from the very start today. Miles Scotson (Groupama-FDJ) is attempting to get away from the peloton.

153km to go

More attacks at the front. Scotson was with Jesus Ezquerra (Burgos-BH) but left him behind.

Things are back together at the front now.

Robert Stannard (Mitchelton-Scott), Stan Dewulf, Tosh van der Sande (Lotto Soudal), Benjamin Dyball (NTT Pro Cycling) and Angel Madrazo (Burgos-BH) are at the front of the race now.

A small group including the UAE Team Emirates duo of Rui Costa, Jasper Philipsen plus Rémi Cavagna (Deceuninck-Quick Step) are chasing.

Rui Costa is the best-placed on GC of those attackers. He's 23:44 down in 33rd place.

138km to go

Philipsen and Van der Sande have been caught by the peloton while Julien Simon (Total Direct Energie) tries to make it across.

The gap is now up to one minute.

A lot of rolling and flat roads in these early parts of the stage as the riders leave Logroño heading west before turning back and passing the city again before heading south to the mountains – the Sierra de Moncalvillo, part of the Sistema Ibérico range.

Simon has made it across to the break now. He joins Madrazo, Dyball, Cavagna, Rui Costa, Dewulf and Stannard out front. Their advantage is now 3:20.

132km to go

Ineos Grenadiers drive the peloton on behalf of race leader Richard Carapaz.

Here's what EF's Hugh Carthy, who lies second overall, had to say before the start.

An average of 45.2kph in the first hour of racing.

116km to go

A bike change for Rui Costa in the break but he's back up and running just fine.

Here's a look at the breakaway.

Check out our report of yesterday's stage, won by Michael Woods.

Some Tour de France news – the 2021 route presentation has been postponed from Thursday to Sunday evening. Read the full story here.

We'll have a lowdown on the route rumours and likely stages coming up.

95km to go

The break has passed the 100km to go mark. They're currently 4:45 up on the peloton.

Ineos and EF are at the front of the peloton at the moment with the British team leading the way.

Ángel Madrazo, who is out in the break today:

"Yesterday was a very intense race from the start until the finish, well, the last 7 stages have been like that. For me it’s an incredible La Vuelta, we’re going after everything and the team is doing well, we managed to put Cabedo in the break yesterday. And today we’ll try something similar.

"I’m feeling good, but we haven’t been able to go for the breakaways. Now we’ll try to make it to the finish when we’re up there. It’s a nice stage, they told us the last climb is very hard and why not dream again like last year?"

90km to go

Still around 30 kilometres until the start of the first climb of the day, the Puerto de la Rasa.

From the breakaway riders, Cavagna and Madrazo both won stages last year. The Frenchman won stage 19 in Toledo after a fantastic solo ride from the break, while Madrazo led a Burgos-BH one-two on the summit finish of Javalambre.

Simon finished second on a stage to Tarazona – where the riders passed through on stage 4 – in 2015, while other four riders are making their Vuelta debut this year.

Another look at the final climb today, featuring two-time Vuelta runner-up Fernando Escartín.

77km to go

The break are climbing at the moment, but it's an unclassfied hill rather than a 'real' climb. 

The break's gap holds at fivee minutes as Ineos continue to work.

Ineos have upped the pace a little as the gap has come down to 4:10. The riders are still heading uphill.

A shot of Ineos leading the peloton.

Mountain classification leader Guillaume Martin, who is aiming to follow in the footsteps of David Moncoutié (2008-11) and Nicolas Edet (2013), who all won the jersey for Cofidis.

"This polka-dot jersey is a Cofidis specialty. David Moncoutié won it several times, my teammate Nicolas Edet also got it, and last year it was another Frenchman, Geoffrey Bouchard. I’d like to follow their path. Do I have to chose [between a stage and the jersey]? I think it can come together.

"From tomorrow we have a couple of stages without much KOM points so I’ll do my best today. It starts on the flat, we’ll see what I can do after the efforts from the last days. And let’s not forget the main contenders for this jersey should be the GC guys."

Hector Saéz and Jhojan García of  Caja Rural-Seguros RGA have jumped away from the break. They've immediately taken a minute.

60km to go

It's Saéz trying to launch García across the gap.

Movistar take it up on the front of the peloton as they hit the first climb of the day, the second-category Puerto de la Rasa. It's 9.8km long at an average of 5.3 per cent.

Orla Chennaoui of Eurosport reports an interview with Jumbo-Visma's head of performance Mathieu Heijboer after Tom Dumoulin's withdrawal.

4:20 between the break and peloton. Saéz and García are 2:50 down.

Actually, Saéz is just caught by the peloton. García chases alone.

55km to go

Alejandro Valverde, who was out in the break yesterday, has said that Movistar will be working for Enric Mas today. He lies fifth overall, 1:07 down on Carapaz.

Just 3:30 for the break now as the peloton closes within 40 seconds of García. The pace has really been upped on the climb.

There's a headwind on the climb. The break are 1.5km from the top now.

50km to go

Cavagna leads the break across the top. Five points for him and the gap is 2:40 now.

The break have 40km of descent and valley riding until the reach the foot of the final climb. Ineos retake control of the peloton oveer the top.

And Movistar get back to the front to push on down the descent.

A nice shot of the peloton via Ineos Grenadiers...

40km to go

The gap is down to just two minutes now. We haven't heard from García for a while – it looks as though he was caught towards the top of the climb.

Movistar have really driven the pace on and provoked a split in the peloton, but it's coming back together now. Still, the group is greatly reduced after that climb.

A group is chasing back but they're around 50 seconds down. It's unclear if there are any big names in there at the moment.

35km to go

The riders are in the valley now. Just a minute between the break and peloton now. 

It looks like there's only around 40 men in the Movistar-led peloton now, actually.

30km to go

There's really no hope for the break now. The gap is under a minute and there's a 20km run through the valley before the climb begins.

Up front, the break aree still all together. Rui Costa, Cavagna, Madrazo, Stannard, Dewulf and Dyball.

25km to go

Madrazo drops from the break.

Yep, Madrazo is back in the peloton now. The tension heightens as the riders draw closer to the climb.

20km to go

Movistar still drive the peloton ahead of Ineos and EF. 40 seconds for the break.

15km to go

20 seconds now. No change in the peloton. They just keep closing in.

Movistar pushing the pace a little earlier on.

Mas has the entire Movistar team – bar Jorge Arcas – with him, so Valverde, Imanol Erviti, Nelson Oliveira, JJ Rojas, Marc Soler and Carlos Verona.

Carapaz has Ivan Sosa, Andrey Amador and Dylan Van Baarle in there. It looks like Roglič has four riders with him – Sepp Kuss, Robert Gesink and George Bennett for sure.

12km to go

Just 15 seconds for the break now and what better time to take a look at our final climb of the day? The Alto de Moncalvillo.

Rui Costa and Rémi Cavagna are caught. Dyball pushes on to try and stay out a little longer.

Dewulf is with Dyball. Just a fwe seconds ahead of the peloton.

10km to go

Those two are the last man standing. 1.7km to the start of the climb.

8km to go

And they hit the climb. It's over for the break and Movistar continue to push on as riders tail out the rear of the peloton.

Omar Fraile, Davide Formolo are among the riders losing ground.

Only around 30 riders remain in the lead group. Valverde takes it up on th front, getting a small gap as he pushes the pace.

7km to go

Gesink leads the group to the Spaniard's wheel. More riders drop off the back.

Amador and Carapaz are right behind him. Ion and Gorka Izagirre and teammate Merhawi Kudus are dropped.

6km to go

25 riders left. Still around 2.5km until the steepest sections.

EF move to the front with Woods and Carthy.

Gesink drops off, his work done.

4.5km to go

Großschartner, who lies sixth overall, is dropped. 

Soler and Valverde are gone too.

Woods leads ahead of Carthy, Carapaz, Roglič, Dan Martin, Kuss, Chaves, Mas and I think Vlasov and Poels.

4km to go

Woods peels off and Carthy attacks! Kuss on his wheel. They're approaching the steepest sections.

Martin tries to move across.

Carapaz, Roglič, Poels, Chaves, Vlasov, Mas chase.

3km to go

Martin draws out Vlasov, and the accelerations drop Chaves as Poels struggles too.

Carthy leaeds Kuss into the double-digit gradients.

Valverde's group is 50 seconds down already.

3km to go

Poels is dropped. Carapaz leads Roglič, Mas, Martin and Vlasov.

And now Kuss goes as the chase group catches him and Carthy.

Carapaz counters!

2.5km to go

Mas and Vlasov struggle to keep up. Carapaz has Roglič on his wheel.

Carapaz and Roglič have separated themselves from the rest.

2km to go

Carapaz leads the way. Carthy makes it across. Maritn and Vlasov are coming back. Mas 15 seconds down.

And now Vlasov strikes out! He's 6:34 down on GC so it's not too troubling for the other men, who are top four on GC.

1.5km to go

Kuss, Mas and Poels are just a few seconds behind the Carapaz group now.

There's a 12 per cent section in the final kilometre but it eases a little closer to the line.

Roglič attack!

1km to go

The Slovenian passes Vlasov under the km to go banner. Carapaz gets across as Martin chases. Carthy is dropped!

800m to go

Carapaz attacks now. Roglič sticks with him and powers away, wow.

Roglič has a gap on Carapaz. They are the best of the lot on these steep slopes.

Carapaz can't get back to Roglič, who is sprinting towards the finish on this incline.

Primož Roglič wins the stage! Carapaz sheds around 15 seconds at the finish, plus four bonus seconds.

Martin was third at 20 seconds. Vlasov at 26, Carthy at 34 and Poels just behind. Mas and Kuss were around 20 seconds later.

Carthy drops two places to fourth overall and Roglič jumps up to second. The top four are still separated by less than a minute.

What a shot of the leaders on that final climb.

Guillaume Martin hands on to polka dots with 27 points to Kuss and Carapaz's 24.

Martin gave it everything up there.

Stage 8 winner Roglič after the finish...

"It was quite a boring, slow start and the pace went up and it was super fast and harder after the second to last climb. On the last one, actually I did the first time in my life. I didn't know it, only all I could see from the profile, a hard climb but then it's a good opportunity - you have to go if you want to win. It was more going with the feeling than saying I would go.

"I always like to win, so if there is a small opportunity I will take it. It was super hard today and luckily I had the legs and I'm happy to win the stage. It's nice to get some time back but most of all it's nice to win the race."

Our winner today.

That win was the 43rd win of Roglič's career and the eighth of his season.

Check out our brief stage 8 report here

We'll have news and reaction through the evening so keep checking back for the latest from the Vuelta.

2020 Vuelta a España stage 8 highlights - Video

Watch Primož Roglič win on Alto de Moncalvillo and get closer to the overall leader's jersey

Dan Martin holds third in Vuelta a España standings on frantic stage to Alto de Moncalvillo

Irishman overtakes Carthy as Roglic attacks race leader Carapaz

Tour de France 2021 route: All the rumours ahead of the big reveal

Reports suggest Ventoux, plenty of Pyrenees, and increase in time trialling

Roglič relaunches GC bid with spectacular second Vuelta a España summit finish win

Defending champion closes gap on Carapaz to 13 seconds

That's all for our live coverage of the Vuelta a España today.

We'll be back in the coming days for a sprint stage and a hilltop finish ahead of two more summit finishes at the Alto de la Farrapona and the fearsome Alto de l'Angliru at the weekend.