In a three-week stage race like the Vuelta a España, fates and eventualities go well beyond the altimetry profile of the single stages. It was proved once again in the 8th stage of the race, Puebla de Don Fadrique-Murcia (182 km), that put an end to the quest for glory (and to the race) of Dan Martin (Cannondale) and Tejay Van Garderen (BMC), and ended up being the toughest to date for the Colombia-Coldeportes guys. The big damage was not made by the demanding ascent to the Alto de la Cresta del Gallo, to be faced twice, but rather by the dangerous descent and the many traps on the stage’s route. 

In addition, a virus has battered several riders of the team guided by Sports Directors Valerio Tebaldi and Oscar Pellicioli in the last couple of days. Those included Rodolfo Torres, who also suffered a crash on descent, and came home over 13 minutes behind stage winner Jesper Stuyven (Trek Factory Racing).

The Belgian youngster came on top of a 50-man sprint ahead of Pello Bilbao (Caja Rural) and Kevin Reza (FDJ), while Miguel Angel Rubiano, after trying a move into the final 10 km with some other riders, ended the stage in 18th position. Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEDGE) also finished in the main group, holding on the leader’s jersey.

The day was definitely characterized by crashes: after the halfway stage, when a six-man early breakaway attempt was still on, a crash caused by road furniture involved a number of riders, forcing four of them to quit the race: in addition to Martin and Van Garderen, it was game over also for Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and Kris Boeckmans (Lotto-Soudal). Later on, the Alto de la Cresta del Gallo, with its narrow street and tricky bends, caused several more accidents, including the one of Torres, who ended up in a ditch on the left side of the road.

“Honestly, it was not the crash, or its consequences, to let me down, but rather the illness I have been suffering from since yesterday evening," Torres honestly stated at the finish. "I had a fever overnight, and I badly struggled during the race. I was missing the necessary lucidity to handle the descent properly, and the crash was just a consequence of that. Now I hope to get well soon, and show up to the fore later in this Vuelta.”

The stage finale saw another crash by Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo), who hit the ground when he was leading the chase of three athletes – Losada (Katusha), Elissonde (FDJ) and Gonçalves (Caja Rural) – who had been leading by a few seconds until 4 km to go.

“Today the stage proved way tougher than we expected, not only for us," Sports Director Oscar Pellicioli commented. "But in three weeks of racing, one day like this can happen. Rubiano was still sharp in remaining in the first group and taking his chance in the finale, now we hope to quickly leave this virus behind and play our chances in the upcoming stages.”

Tomorrow, Sunday, the 168 km ninth stage expects the rider from Torrevieja to the finish in Cumbre del Sol, characterized by a short and steep climb in the final 3 km, with gradients peaking at 19%.