Vuelta: Vine strikes again on stage 8 - Evenepoel remains in the red jersey
After 153.4 kilometres from La Pola Llaviana to the mountain finish on the Collau Fancuaya at an altitude of 1088 metres, Jay Vine came out on top of a breakaway group on Saturday. It was the second stage win for the Australian from Alpecin-Deceuninck after he had already won stage 6.
Evenepoel stays in the red jersey
Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel defended the overall leader's red jersey. The 22-year-old is now 28 seconds ahead of Spaniard Enric Mas. Last year's winner Primoz Roglic from Slovenia is now third overall, 1:01 minutes behind.
The race was already over before the start of the stage for the German Nikias Arndtwho, like his British DSM team-mate and room partner Mark Donovan, tested positive for the coronavirus. The team announced that both were doing well and had minimal to no symptoms.
A mountain finish also awaits the professional cyclists on Sunday's ninth stage. After 171.4 kilometres, the stage ends in Les Praeres Nava. The race ends on 11 September in the Spanish capital Madrid.
Profile & final climb: That was stage 8
The stages of the Vuelta in detail
Unlike in the Tour de France, the leader's jersey in the Vuelta is not yellow, but red. We have summarised which other leader's jerseys and special classifications there are in the Tour of Spain in our text on the rules.
Numerous top cycling stars will be at the start of the 2022 Vuelta. TOUR has compiled an overview of the line-ups of the 23 teams.
Tour of Spain for women
In addition to the men's race, there will also be another Vuelta for women in 2022, the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta. It will take place from 7 to 11 September with a total of five stages.
The first stage starts in Marina de Cudeyo in Cantabria, with the final section finishing four days later in the Spanish capital Madrid.
History of the Vuelta
The men's Vuelta a Espana is back after the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France the third of the three major national tours (Grand Tours), which will be held in 2022. The Tour of Spain was held for the first time in 1935 and is therefore younger than its Italian and French counterparts.
Until the 1990s, the Vuelta traditionally took place in spring. The date was then moved to August or September. There was one exception in 2020, when the Vuelta was moved to October and November due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The record winner is the Spaniard Roberto Heras with four titles. Three Germans have won the race so far: Rudi Altig (1962), Rolf Wolfshohl (1965) and Jan Ullrich (1999).
