Vuelta a Espana - the most important facts in brief
- Stage 8, Saturday, 24 August
- Ubeda - Cazorla, 158.7 kilometres, low mountain range
- Official start: 13:49
- Estimated arrival time: ~ 17:20 - 17:41
- TV broadcast: 14:30 - 18:00 Eurosport 1
- Live stream: Discovery Plus (subject to a charge)
- All stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 at a glance
- More info on TV broadcast & live stream
Vuelta 2024: Stage 8 - route, elevation profile and map
The Vuelta a Espana 2024 is still on the road in Andalusia. The eighth stage will start in the province of Jaen, in Ubeda, which has around 34,000 inhabitants and is located around 150 kilometres east of Cordoba, where the Tour of Spain will stop on stage 7.
The course initially leads the riders in a north-easterly direction. After a good 60 kilometres, the route bends to the south-west in Tranco de Beas. The first part of the eighth section is undulating. However, as on the previous day, the majority of the 2380 metres in altitude will be covered in the second part of the stage. At kilometre 105.1, there is the Puerto Mirador de las Palomas (2nd category), which has an average gradient of 5.7 percent over 7.3 kilometres.
From the summit, the riders gradually roll downhill for around 25 kilometres to Peal de Becerro, passing the finish town of Cazorla on the way. The finale begins from Peal de Becerro. The last 27 kilometres of the stage are always slightly uphill, interrupted by short descents. The categorised part of the final climb, Sierra de Cazorla, is 4.8 kilometres long with an average gradient of 7.1 per cent. The steepest point is reached shortly after the start at 20 per cent, and the last kilometre is also quite steep again with percentages above 10.
Sporting assessment of the 8th stage
In 2015, a Vuelta stage already ended in the Sierra de Cazorla. Esteban Chaves won the 6th stage with a five-second lead over Daniel Martin. The Colombian mountain specialist had broken away around two and a half kilometres before the finish and also took the leader's jersey that day - Fabio Aru ended up winning the stage. Will we see a similar battle of the classification riders in the Sierra de Cazorla again in 2024?
The fact that an extremely difficult ride across the Sierra Nevada awaits on the next day with 4370 metres in altitude and three first-category climbs speaks against this. It is quite possible that the top riders will take it easy on their teams and there will only be a short test on the final climb. The chances are therefore very good that a breakaway group will make it through and decide the day's victory among themselves.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana 2024
The neutral start will take place at 13:30. The sharp start is scheduled for 13:49. The finish is expected at 17:20 with an average speed of 45 km/h, 17:30 with 43 km/h and 17:41 with 41 km/h.
Eurosport will be broadcasting all stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024. Stage 8 will be shown free-to-air on Eurosport 1 from 14:30.* Including post-event coverage, the broadcast will run until 18:00. A live stream on the internet is also available from the paid provider Discovery Plus.
* Transmission times are subject to change.
