Stage 8 | Saturday, 2 September | Denia - Xorret de Cati | 165 kilometres
Stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana 2023 takes the riders from Denia, a harbour town on the Costa Blanca, inland to Xorret de Cati. The race covers 165 kilometres and includes an intermediate sprint as well as five categorised climbs - the last of which is even a 1st category climb.
The starting point of Denia is located directly on the east coast of Spain in the province of Alicante. From there, the first few kilometres are flat, but then the elevation profile gets tough. After 28.8 kilometres, the peloton reaches a category 2 climb, followed by a lot of uphill and downhill sections. When the riders reach the only sprint classification of the day around 40 kilometres before the finish, they have two category 2 and two category 3 climbs in their legs. Shortly before the finish, the peloton then has to cross the Xorret de Cati, a 1st category climb, before a short downhill and then a flat finish at over 900 metres.
The final climb is likely to decide the stage. At almost four kilometres, the Xorret de Cati is not long, but it is extremely steep. It has an average gradient of 11.4 per cent and is even 22 per cent steep in phases. Kilometre 3 of the climb in particular, with an average gradient of 15.3 per cent, is extremely demanding for the riders, who have around 160 strenuous kilometres in their legs. The last three kilometres are downhill once again before the finish is on flat terrain.
Sporting assessment of the 8th stage
After a quiet day for the classics and mountain riders, it is precisely these types of riders who are in demand on stage 8. Due to the many climbs, the peloton is likely to find it difficult to control the day's leading group. A breakaway victory could therefore be possible. Australian Jay Vine from the Team UAE Emirates get a free ride and win a stage at the Vuelta like last year. A victory for the classification riders around Vine's team-mate Juan Ayuso or Joao Almeida is also not out of the question.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana 2023
The peloton will set off at 12:55, with the sharp start at around 13:10. The calculated finish at the Xorret de Cati, which is the finish of a Vuelta stage for the seventh time, should be between 17:17 and 17:45 at an average speed of around 38 kilometres per hour.
Eurosport will broadcast all stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2023. Stage 8 will be shown free-to-air on Eurosport 1 from 14:30. Including post-stage coverage, the broadcast will run until 18:00. The paid providers GCN+ and Discovery+ will also be showing a live stream on the internet.
Vuelta a Espana 2023 - Stage 8: The most important information at a glance
- Mountain stage over 165 kilometres
- Start of the stage: 12:55
- Calculated end of the race: approx. 17:30
- TV broadcast: 14:30 - 18:00 Eurosport 1
