Preview: What you need to know about stage 8 of the Vuelta a España
Preview: What you need to know about stage 8 of the Vuelta a España
Date: Saturday August 21
Start: Santa Pola
Finish: La Manda del Mar Menor
Distance: 173.7 km
Another stage for the sprinters – that’s four in the first ‘week’. This should end in a bunch sprint, but it can get windy along the coast here and there is some wind in the forecast for Saturday.
In other words, crosswinds could play a role. If they do, it will be interesting to see how things play out, as both Jumbo-Visma and the Ineos Grenadiers have seemed very alert to the dangers of the crosswinds so far in this race.
Who’s it for: Sprinters.
Dane Cash’s picks: Jasper Philipsen and Fabio Jakobsen have been the two best sprinters in the Vuelta so far, and there’s little reason to think that that will change on stage 8. Jakobsen’s Deceuninck-QuickStep teammates may be the difference maker in a windy finale, although it’s still hard to pick between the two. Beyond Jakobsen and Philipsen, Arnaud Démare really should be factoring in these sprints more than he has so far, so maybe this is his day. Juan Sebastián Molano and Michael Matthews are also worth watching.
