John Degenkolb went into stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana as one of two big favourites but came up short against Nacer Bouhanni. The German regretted having made a big mistake that saw him miss a crucial split in the finale and use crucial energy to get back in contention.

John Degenkolb has sprinted to fourth place on stage eight of La Vuelta a España at the end of a hard crosswind battle.

The race splintered into echelons in the final 25 kilometres and Degenkolb and Warren Barguil ended up in the second group behind many of the other GC contenders. Together with support from the team they ploughed on to bridge the gap to the leaders giving them the opportunity to sprint for the stage as well as protecting Barguil's top ten GC placing.

The eighth day of racing at La Vuelta was the longest stage of the race at 207km, but with no climbs on the route to speak of it looked set to be a day for the sprinters. As such Team Giant-Shimano set about concentrating their efforts on keeping things together for a sprint finish for Degenkolb .

The day’s break went nearly as soon as the flag was dropped and two riders pulled clear to spend the day out front. There was no real action to talk of until after the break had been swallowed up after pressure from Lawson Craddock and Johannes Fröhlinger, and the crosswinds started to split the peloton.

The team were in a strong position after the first splits with most riders in the front group. Nikias Arndt, Chad Haga, Koen De Kort, Tobias Ludvigsson and Ramon Sinkeldam were all present to support Degenkolb and Barguil.

The splits continued to come and a small group pulled clear in the final 10 kilometres without Barguil or Degenkolb present. The team worked  hard close the gap and managed to bring the two back to the front in the final five kilometres from which point the team prepared the sprint for Degenkolb .

As the finish opened up, Degenkolb was in position but lacking the final kick needed to pull through to really fight for the stage win. It was still an impressive display from the team and showed that the riders can deal with the pressure when the fight really starts.

With Degenkolb 's fourth place he conserves his lead in the points classification, and Warren remains in ninth place overall.

After the stage, Degenkolb told us: “I’m really disappointed with today. It is a shame that I wasn’t able to pay back the hard work that the guys put in for me today.

“When we were caught in the second split I wasn’t sure if we would even make it back to the front let alone sprint, but the guys were pulling big turns to close the gap then I did a bit effort to close the gap. It worked out but this cost me at the end and I didn’t have the kick I needed. It was down to being too far back when the split happened. But it is good that we managed to get Warren back up there and that he didn’t lose any time.

“This was definitely not an easy stage. I made quite a mistake to not take the first split, so I had to use my team and my own energy to bridge the gap across to the lead group. Nairo Quintana was with us but what mattered to me was that three of my team-mates were burning themselves to bring me back on.

"Near the end, I was at the limit before I could start sprinting. I made it back in the first group before the narrow road, just in time, but then I didn’t have any time left move back to the head of the sprint. Things like that happen. I’ll have other chances to win another stage.

“We will now focus again tomorrow on getting Warren in a good position for the climbs and the finish, and get through to the rest day on Monday.”

Ludvigsson, one of those pulling hard to bring the groups back together late in the day, added: “It was really hectic today and the chase was hard. I was just moving up in time with the guys on my wheel when the splits started and so we were in a really good position to start with.

“I’m still getting used to the heat here too but I am feeling better and I hope that tomorrow I’ll have another good day and be able to help Warren for as long as possible.”

Team Giant-Shimano coach Christian Guiberteau added: “It was a real fight today, like being in the classics. When the first echelon  formed we were looking strong with both John and Warren there with support.

“Unfortunately they were behind the split and had to work really hard to get back. In those situations everyone has to dig in and work hard. The guys did well to close the gap but this cost John. It was a shame for him but he worked hard and his work also helped make sure that Warren didn’t lose any time.

“It is also good that the guys made it through today OK after their crashes yesterday. The main thing is that the team worked really well and were present when the hard fight really started.”