Stage 8 of La Vuelta 26 crowned Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) and saw Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates XRG) abandon. The mostly flat course from Puçol to Xeraco favoured the fast men while the GC contenders were ready to shift their focus to the mountain showdown set for Sunday. Indeed, it was a bunch gallop that allowed the French pocket sprinter to snatch his first Grand Tour stage win just ahead of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). But as the tension rose in the peloton, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates XRG) crashed at high speed. The Slovenian superstar tried to get back on his bike but, suffering from visible injuries to his left arm and shoulder, he became the first overall leader of La Vuelta to crash out of the race since Igor Anton in 2010. The new leader, Enric Mas (Movistar) is the first Spaniard to take La Roja since Jesus Herrada in 2018.
After the first breakaway success, claimed by Andreas Leknessund at Aramon Valdelinares, the sprinters eye a fresh opportunity to battle it out with just over 1,200 metres of elevation gain between Puçol and Xeraco (171 km). They will need to overcome the Puerto de Barx (cat. 3) as they enter the final 30 kilometres.
Emblematic of the area, the ascent served as a launchpad for Demi Vollering to take victory in Gandia, right next to Xeraco. The main local cycling event is the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, held since 1929, whose list of winners features Tadej Pogacar (2020), Stefan Küng (2021), and Santiago Buitrago (2025).
Fernandez leads the way
The start is delayed due to mechanical incidents and then a crash. Once the flag drops, Sinuhé Fernandez immediately sets off, as he announced ahead of the stage. His Burgos Burpellet BH teammate José Luis Faura tries to join him but he’s controlled by the bunch.
The gap reaches a maximum of 5’50’’ at km 24. Then, Steven Kruijswijk (Visma-Lease a Bike) starts pulling the peloton. His teammates announced they wanted to complement two ambitions today: chasing a third stage win with Matthew Brennan and consolidating Wout van Aert’s position as the new leader of the points standings.
Pogacar crashes out of La Vuelta
The gap gradually decreases until Fernandez is caught at km 133, just before the intermediate sprint. Van Aert takes the 20 points on the line. The tension is high. Several riders are caught in crashes and Tadej Pogacar hits the deck just before the climb up Puerto de Barx. The Slovenian tries to get back on his bike but he’s injured on the left arm and shoulder. He eventually walks to the ambulance and abandons.
This is the first time Pogacar abandons a stage race, and the first time he crashes out of a race since Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2023. He is the first overall leader of La Vuelta to withdraw since Igor Anton crashed en route to Peña Cabarga in 2010 (stage 14).
Coquard snatches the win
The peloton go over the climb at a moderate pace. Onto the downhill, Xabier Mikel Azparren (Pinarello Q36.5) attacks into the final 25 kilometres. The Spanish baroudeur opens a gap of 20 seconds but he’s eventually reeled in 1.5 kilometre from the finish line.
The sprint is hectic, with another crash. Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) tries to fly past everyone on the lefthand side of the road to take his third La Vuelta 26 stage win, but Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) emerges to snatch his first Grand Tour success just ahead of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
