Vuelta Stage 8: Jasper Stuyven wins as Peter Sagan is taken out by a support vehicle

Belgian rider Jasper Stuyven of Trek Factory Racing won stage 8 of the Vuelta on a day when several big names were forced to abandon following a crash. The stage was also marked by a collision between Peter Sagan and a support vehicle in the closing kilometres which ruined the Slovak’s chances of victory.

The 182.5km stage to Murcia was shaped by two ascents of the Cresta del Gallo, a 4.2km climb at 7.5%. By the finish, the front group was down to around 40 riders, of whom Stuyven was the quickest, edging out Pello Bilbao in a sprint finish.

Peter Sagan, who would have harboured strong hopes of victory, saw his chances disappear in painful fashion when he was hit by a support vehicle with 7.8km to go. TV coverage didn’t pick up the incident itself, but Sagan was seen shortly afterwards standing in the road with shorts ripped, angrily remonstrating with a motorcyclist and kicking at his bike in frustration.

Esteban Chaves finished in the front group and retains the overall lead.

Earlier, a large crash with around 50km had affected several big names. First and second on general classification, Chaves and Tom Dumoulin, were briefly held up but eventually managed to return to the peloton. Dan Martin, Tejay Van Garderen and Nacer Bouhanni, however, were all forced to abandon.