Nacer Bouhanni proved that he is in amazing condition when he mixed it up with the GC riders to finish 8th in stage 3 of the Vuelta a Espana. Having focused on scoring points for the green jersey, he is now looking forward to tomorrow where a flat finish should suit him better.

Nacer Bouhanni may be known as a sprinter but today he put his versatile skills on show when he mixed it up with the best climbers in stage 3 of the Vuelta a Espana. The Frenchman was one of only three sprinters to finish in the first group as he rolled across the line in 8th.

Having realized that he was unable to win the stage, Bouhanni focused on the green jersey and has now set his sights on tomorrow's stage.

“My team-mates have given everything to get me a good position and I gave my best but the last climb was too hard for me," he said. "The strong attack by the Katusha rider [Caruso] wasn’t the ideal scenario for me. He made the group explode.

"I didn’t have enough strength left for sprinting after that, so I focused on scoring some points for the green jersey. I think tomorrow’s stage will suit me better with a flat finish.”