Saturday 29 August 2026 – Vuelta a España stage 8: Puçol → Xeraco (171 km)

Route

Stage 8 of the Vuelta a España 2026 runs from Puçol to Xeraco, 171 kilometres away on the Costa de la Safor. The route is largely flat and circles around Valencia, with a total of around 1,280 metres of climbing. Only in the final 30 kilometres does a climb appear.

After the start in Puçol, the route follows the coastal plain inland, past Massamagrell, Moncada and Bétera. At Riba-roja de Túria the course turns south via Cheste, Montserrat and Carlet to Algemesí and Alzira. It is a long, flat stretch without any notable obstacles. At Simat de la Valldigna (km 137.4) lies the only intermediate sprint of the day, worth 6, 4 and 2 bonus seconds for the first three riders.

Immediately after the intermediate sprint begins the only climb of the day: the Puerto de Barx (4.7 km at 5.6%), second category, with the summit at 27.4 kilometres from the line. After the summit comes a descent via Barx and La Drova, after which the road flattens out again. From 13 kilometres before the finish, the route passes through a 140-metre tunnel onto the N-332, before descending dead straight to the coastal town of Xeraco. The final 5.4 kilometres, from the entrance of the village, are completely flat towards the finish on the Avenida dels Borrons, at the mouth of the Riu Vaca.

Final kilometres

The summit of the Puerto de Barx lies at 27.4 kilometres from the line. From there it is predominantly descending and flat. At kilometre 13, the route turns onto the N-332 for a long, straight run-in to Xeraco. There is another 140-metre tunnel, after which the road runs dead straight for the final kilometres to the finish on the coast. No bends or obstacles in the final 5 kilometres.

Recent editions

Xeraco is on the Vuelta's programme for the first time. Racing has visited the La Safor region before: in 2023, stage 7 finished in nearby Oliva, where Geoffrey Soupe (TotalEnergies) surprisingly won the sprint. Ten editions ago, in 2016, the Vuelta stopped in Gandia (a few kilometres from Xeraco): there, the then 23-year-old Magnus Cort (at the time riding for Orica-GreenEDGE) claimed his first Grand Tour stage win, the start of a series of Vuelta stage wins for the Dane.

Scenarios

A day for the fast-finishing sprinters, provided they survive the Puerto de Barx. At 27.4 kilometres from the line lies the crucial point: sprinters such as Kaden Groves (Alpecin - Premier Tech), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) and Alberto Dainese (Soudal - Quick-Step) need to stay in touch there.

If sprinters are dropped on the Puerto de Barx, it becomes a day for the hill specialists: puncheurs and classics riders who get through the climb well and finish off the flat closing kilometres to Xeraco.

Local

For both Puçol and Xeraco, this is the first time the Vuelta has stopped there: Puçol is a Grand Tour stage start for the first time, Xeraco a stage finish for the first time. The municipality (around 5,000 inhabitants, in the comarca of La Safor) had the access road to the beach resurfaced for the occasion. Xeraco is already mentioned in 1248 in the "Llibre del Repartiment" of King James I of Aragon. In July 2017, former professional Ángel Vicioso (then riding for Katusha) was hit by a car while training in Xeraco, a moment he later called a turning point towards his retirement as a rider at the end of 2017.

Weather forecast

Expected in Xeraco on Saturday: plenty of sunshine with a maximum of 29.2°C and a minimum of 23.8°C. No rain is expected. In the final 50 km there will be a north-easterly wind with speeds of up to 13.6 km/h, blowing in from the sea: not a significant factor for the race.

TV guide

• HBO Max — from 14:45
• Eurosport 1 — from 15:00