Valverde pips Sagan to stage eight win on Tour of Spain

ALMADÉN, Spain: Spanish veteran Alejandro Valverde kept his composure on a tricky finish to claim an unexpected victory on the eighth stage of the Tour of Spain on Saturday.

Frenchman Rudy Molard, of the Groupama team, held on to the race leader’s red jersey after finishing safely among the peloton.

Molard will start Sunday’s hilly ninth stage, a 200-kilometre ride from Talavera de la Reina to the ski station of La Covatilla with a 37sec lead on Valverde and a 51sec lead on fourth-placed Briton Simon Yates.

Organisers had added spice to the finale of the 195.5km race from Linares, the peloton forced to practically turn back on itself after negotiating a roundabout inside the final kilometre.

But Valderde held his nerve to stay in sprint contention and proved strongest in a tight, uphill finish to pip three-time world champion Peter Sagan to the honours.

Sagan, of the Bora team, finished third with Dutchman Danny von Poppel (LottoNL-Jumbo) in third place.

The Slovakian had secured a record-equalling sixth green jersey for the points competition and won three stages at the Tour de France in July, but appears to be paying for those efforts.

After a third-place finish on Monday, Sagan edged closer to a stage win on Friday where he finished second behind Frenchman Tony Gallopin. — AFP

Stage winner Movistar’s Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde (R) sprints with second placed Bora-Hansgrohe’s Slovakian cyclist Peter Sagan (2L) as they cross the finish line of the eighth stage of the 73rd edition of “La Vuelta”Tour of Spain cycling race, a 195.1 km route from Linares to Almaden, on September 1, 2018. - AFP photo