Like his teammate Brieuc Rolland the day before, Thibaud Gruel conquered his first top-10 finish in a Grand Tour on Saturday. In Zaragoza, however, it wasn’t at the summit, but after a bunch sprint that the young Frenchman claimed sixth place in stage 8 of the Vuelta a España. The first week of racing will conclude on Sunday with another summit finish in the Valdezcaray ski resort.
Located between four summit finishes, stage 8 of the Vuelta a España offered a break, but also a rare opportunity for the sprinters on Saturday in Zaragoza. One hundred and sixty-three kilometres were on the day’s agenda, with no difficulties recorded. “There was a bit of wind at the start, but I would have been surprised if there had been a fight,” said Frédéric Guesdon. “In a stage race, with 160 kilometres to cover afterwards, it was difficult to create echelons, especially since there was a headwind after that, and almost no wind towards the end. So once the three-man breakaway got underway, the gap grew to four minutes, the sprinters teams took on the chase, and not much happened. You also have to go through those days in the Grand Tours.” After a controlled chase from start to finish, the peloton caught the three Spanish fugitives with 17 kilometres to go. “The finishing circuit, even though it was in town, was on nice and large roads,” added Frédéric.
“I’m not doing that bad,” Thibaud Gruel
In Zaragoza, the final sprint gradually set up, and the battle for positioning proved nervous as usual. “The day was pretty easy, everyone still had legs at the end, and it was a pretty hectic sprint,” said Thibaud. “We decided to do everything for Thibaud today,” reported Frédéric. “Stefan was his last man, and he had to guide him in the final three kilometres. The goal wasn’t specifically to be in front, but to be as close as possible to the front. We knew the finish line, having done it in 2023. We knew it was a wide, slightly uphill boulevard, and that it was possible to come back from behind.” This is exactly what the Groupama-FDJ puncher managed to do in the final stretch. “Stefan dropped me in the last kilometre. I was still a bit far behind at 500 metres, but I knew I could make up ground,” explained Thibaud. “I hesitated for a moment because I was afraid things would go wrong in front of me, but then I made a good comeback in the last 200 metres.”
Thanks to a strong finish, the rider from Tours initially took eighth place on the day, before being given sixth place after two competitors were relegated. “The legs were good, I think there was room for more, but I’m not doing that bad with 8th,” concluded Thibaud. “He was a bit blocked at one point, but he finished well, and he’s not a pure sprinter either,” recalled Frédéric. “It’s satisfying, but also promising for the upcoming sprints.” Sunday will conclude the first week of the Vuelta a España with a summit finish, already the fourth. “We’ll have to be careful at the start and try to put a climber in the breakaway, because it could have a chance again,” Frédéric said. “Everything will depend on what Visma-Lease a Bike will do.”
