Vuelta a España stage 8 preview: Can anyone stop Brennan from matching Pogacar on final sprint chance of week one?

The 171 kilometre route from Puçol to Xeraco contains just 1,280 metres of climbing and spends most of the afternoon on relatively forgiving roads around Valencia. On paper, it is one of the easiest stages of the opening week.

There is, however, one obstacle standing between the fast men and the finish.

The category 2 climb Puerto de Barx arrives with less than 30 kilometres remaining. At 4.7km and 5.6%, it is difficult enough for teams to test the sprinters, particularly after seven days of racing.

Matthew Brennan has already shown that this type of finale suits him perfectly.

The Visma | Lease a Bike rider survived the late climbing on stage 5 before converting another outstanding team leadout into his second victory of the race. Jordi Meeus finished second, while Mads Pedersen and Kaden Groves were among the riders distanced before the sprint.

Will we see the same scenario this time?

Key information

• Start: 13:42 CEST
• Estimated finish: 17:20 CEST
• Stage type: Flat
• Stage length: 171km
• Elevation gain: 1,280m

Follow stage 8 live at Domestique with our live reporting.

Stage 8 takes the peloton from Puçol to Xeraco over 171 kilometres, with most of the climbing packed into the finale.

The opening part of the stage is relatively straightforward, with rolling roads through the province of Valencia and no classified climbs. That should give the sprint teams plenty of opportunity to control the breakaway.

The race becomes more interesting inside the final 35 kilometres. The intermediate sprint in Simat de la Valldigna comes with 33.6 kilometres remaining, shortly before the category 2 Puerto de Barx.

The Puerto de Barx measures 4.7 kilometres at 5.6% and tops out with 27.4 kilometres to go. It is not especially difficult, but its position could allow teams to put the heavier sprinters under pressure.

After the summit, the road continues briefly uphill before descending towards the coast. The final 13 kilometres are almost completely flat, giving dropped sprinters a chance to return before the finish in Xeraco.

• Intermediate sprint | Simat de la Valldigna | 33.6km to go
• Barx | 2nd category | 4.7km at 5.6% | summit at 27.4km to go

Matthew Brennan starts as the favourite. The Brit has already won twice on his Grand Tour debut, in Manosque and Roquetes, and both victories came on finishes more demanding than this one.

Matthew Brennan also has the strongest leadout in the race. Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte delivered him into the final corner at Roquetes, after which nobody managed to come past. Matthew Brennan later described the final kilometre as spot on.

Before the race, Wout van Aert said he would rather deliver Matthew Brennan on the flat days than try to beat him himself. Saturday offers the clearest opportunity yet. It is the flattest stage of the Vuelta so far.

Alpecin-Premier Tech have the most obvious reason to take responsibility for the chase. After six stages, the team had not recorded a single top ten finish, with twelfth place their best result. Kaden Groves has won Vuelta stages and the green jersey before, and he climbs better than most pure sprinters. 

So far, that has counted for little on a route that has spent more time going up than along. Saturday is the first stage that truly resembles the terrain on which Kaden Groves has built his Vuelta record.

Jordi Meeus has the outright speed to beat any of them. The complication is everything around the sprint. The Red Bull-Bora-Hangrohe rider is racing without Danny van Poppel, who has guided him often, and he also has duties for Primož Roglič before he can think about his own result. On a flat stage, at least, Jordi Meeus should not have to spend the final kilometres wondering whether he will make the front group.

Mads Pedersen won the green jersey at this year's Tour de France and arrives as the defending Vuelta points champion. The Lidl-Trek rider has been in contention whenever the road has tilted upwards near the finish, which is precisely why a completely flat sprint may suit him slightly less than the stages he has already contested.

Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious) finished second in Manosque and has collected several runner up finishes this season without yet taking a professional victory. Pau Miquel is racing on home roads and told Domestique before the Vuelta that the Spanish crowds were one of the reasons he wanted to return.

Bryan Coquard remains Cofidis's main hope in the hunt for a stage win. Hugo Hofstetter is NSN Cycling Team's fastest option, while Steffen De Schuyteneer, making his Grand Tour debut for Lotto-Intermarché, ook tot de snellere mannen in een vlakke sprint gerekend zou moeten worden.