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Vuelta a España stage 8 – Live coverage

Stage 8 profile 2020 Vuelta a Espana

(Image credit: Unipublic)

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Stage 8 preview

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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.

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

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.

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

138km to go

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

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

Here's a look at the breakaway.

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

95km to go

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:

90km to go

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.

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

77km to go

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.

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

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

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

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

35km to go

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

30km to go

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

25km to go

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

20km to go

15km to go

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.

12km to go

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

8km to go

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

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

6km to go

EF move to the front with Woods and Carthy.

Gesink drops off, his work done.

4.5km to go

Soler and Valverde are gone too.

4km to go

Martin tries to move across.

3km to go

Carthy leaeds Kuss into the double-digit gradients.

3km to go

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

2.5km to go

Carapaz and Roglič have separated themselves from the rest.

2km to go

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

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

1km to go

800m to go

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...

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

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

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

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

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