Fabio Aru found himself in less than ideal terrain when he fought with the big guys in the crosswinds on stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana. However, an impressive effort by teammate Jacopo Guarnieri made sure that he didn't lose any time.

"The stage was so stressful and the wind was so strong," Fabio Aru said after stage 8 of the Tour de France. "The team kept me at the front all day, and then Guarnieri just killed himself for me in the last 40k."

Aru finished in the same time as stage winner Nacer Bouhanni of France on a day that ended more or less as expected with a mass sprint. But strong crosswinds and an elite peloton supporting almost of all the top riders in the world has turned this year's Vuelta into a stressful race with each following stage.

On Saturday Aru kept his Top-10 in the overall standings ahead of Sunday's truly big mountain stage nine. Aru has motivated teammates to bring him out of the wind and guide his hopes in the General Classification. Against the best in the world Astana Pro Team has a strong and ambitious squad willing to compete at the front of the race.