Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen once again proved his finishing power at the Vuelta a España, snatching victory in stage eight after a nail-biting photo finish. He edged past Elia Viviani and Ethan Vernon on the line, while Norway’s Torstein Træen retained the overall lead in the general classification.
The 163km stage from Monzón to Zaragoza was tailor-made for the sprinters, though not without drama. A three-man breakaway, formed by Sergio Samitier, Joan Bou, and José Luis Faura, pushed ahead in the opening kilometres, stretching their advantage to nearly four minutes. Despite their persistence, the peloton, driven by the sprinters’ teams, reeled them in with just 17km remaining to set the stage for a high-speed finale.
Viviani’s Lotto teammates worked tirelessly to deliver their man to the front in the final kilometre. However, Philipsen, riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck, showcased his resilience and sharp instincts. Having lost contact with his leadout train, he was forced to find his own way through the charging peloton. Battling into the wind and timing his sprint to perfection, he surged in the closing metres to secure his second stage victory of this year’s race, adding to his success in the opening stage.
For Philipsen, already a former Tour de France points classification winner, the triumph marked his 15th Grand Tour stage victory. He admitted the win did not come easily, describing how he had to dig deep after heavy legs in the final kilometre. The effort, however, paid off as he tightened the battle for the green jersey, moving within 12 points of points classification leader Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek.
At the top of the overall standings, Træen maintained his composure and kept hold of the leader’s red jersey. The Bahrain Victorious rider remains 2 minutes 33 seconds clear of Jonas Vingegaard, setting up a fascinating contest in the stages to come. With 13 days of racing still on the schedule, the general classification battle is expected to intensify, particularly as the race heads into more mountainous terrain.
There was disappointment elsewhere in the peloton, with Britain’s Oliver Knight (Cofidis) forced to withdraw due to illness and George Bennett (Israel-Premier Tech) abandoning the race.
Looking ahead, stage nine will challenge the riders with a 195km hilly route from Alfaro to Valdezcaray. With the terrain favouring attackers and climbers, it could provide opportunities for breakaway specialists while also testing the legs of the overall contenders.
