Saturday, August 30th, 8th stage: Monzón Templario > Zaragoza
The first winner of La Vuelta 25 is also the first to raise his arms twice in this edition. Already the fastest in Novara on stage 1, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) delivered another impressive sprint to get the better of Elia Viviani (Lotto) and Ethan Vernon (Israel Premier Tech) in Zaragoza. The Aragonese capital hosted a stage finish for the 50th time in the race’s history, and the Belgian star joined icons such as his compatriots Gustaaf Deloor, Roger De Vlaeminck and Eddy Planckaert on the winners’ list here. Philipsen has now claimed 15 Grand Tour stage victories — 10 at the Tour de France and 5 at La Vuelta. Meanwhile, Torstein Træen (Bahrain Victorious) held on to La Roja for another day, on the eve of the final stage of week 1: a mountainous showdown towards the Valdezcaray ski resort.
After two mountainous days heading to and coming out of Andorra, La Vuelta 25 settles in Spain with a flat 163.5km stage from Monzon to Zaragoza. Will it be a sprinters’ delight? There are no categorised climbs on the course. But the wind is used to changing the script in this area…
Local hero Samitier on the move
Three riders set off as the soon as the flag drops. Sergio Samitier (Cofidis) is particularly motivated as the stage passes by his hometown Barbastro early in the stage (km 11). He is joined at the front by two other Spanish attackers: Joan Bou (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), a usual suspect for long range attacks at La Vuelta, and José Luis Faura (Burgos-Burpellet-BH).
None of them pose a threat to Torstein Træen’s La Roja (Samitier trails by 8’56’’). It’s up to the sprinters’ teams to control the gap. Fast men eye a rare opportunity to shine and the attackers’ lead hits its maximum early in the stage, with 4’10’’ at km 20.
Philipsen flies past everyone
The lead trio work well together against the wind. Local hero Sergio Samitier goes first at the intermediate sprint. Less than two minutes behind, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) is the first rider from the bunch on the line to score 13 points.
Bou and Samitier up the ante as the peloton close in on them in the streets of Zaragoza. As they enter the final 23.4-km loop around the finish town, they drop Faura, who is rapidly reeled in by the bunch. His two breakaway companions suffer the same fate with 17 km to go.
Tension rises ahead of a fast paced finale. Elia Viviani’s Lotto take the helm inside the last kilometre, but nobody can resist Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in the final metres, taking his fifth La Vuelta stage win, the second in this edition, and his fifteenth Grand Tour victory.
Stage 8
- Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 3h43’48”
- Elia Viviani (Lotto) +0’00”
- Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) +0’00”
GC
- Torstein Træen (Bahrain Victorious) 29h01’50”
- Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +2’33”
- Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates XRG) +2’41”
