The 2023 La Vuelta is starting to heat up and now with Stage 8 the battle between the main favourites is expected to rage again as the riders tackle some steep and challenging mountains. Below you can check all La Vuelta Stage 8 odds and also you’ll find our La Vuelta Stage 8 predictions.
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La Vuelta Stage 8 Profile
The 2023 La Vuelta Stage 8 starts at Denia and heads through some steep mountains towards the finish line in Xorret de Catí. This stage is all about climbing and is expected to unfold an exciting battle between the main favourites. The stage is 165.0 km (102.5 miles) long and the starting time is 11:39 GMT. Meanwhile, the estimated finish time is 16:15 GMT.
The route goes from Dénia to Xorret de Catí and takes in five intermediate climbs. The last ascent is a beast before a short downhill leads onto the slightly uphill home straight.
After several challenging climbs, the final one is short but extremely steep. It is designed exactly with the top GC riders in mind with a battle expected to rage supreme in those final gruelling kilometres. To add to that if the weather joins in things will get really exciting. This part of Spain is known for its sudden and fierce thunderstorms and downpours.
Here is what the finale looks like. Starting with 1 kilometre at 8.5% the road ramps up to accumulate into a 3.9-kilometre climb with an average gradient of 11.4%. Close to the top it levels out a little, although still going up at insane numbers. The steepest stretch ramps up to 22%.
After the top, the route continues with a 2 kilometres descent before going uphill again after the flamme rouge.
Our betting tips and predictions for La Vuelta Stage 8
With the 2023 La Vuelta now on its way, all eyes are on team Jumbo-Visma which contains the two main favourites for the overall win. However, many other riders have high aspirations and this first proper stage is an opportunity for some of those breakaway specialists to try and get a stage win.
Our Outright Prediction: Primoz Roglic @ 5/1 (6.00)
The 3-time La Vuelta champion Primoz Roglic remains the top favourite to win it again. He won his previous 3 La Vueltas exactly by hurting everyone else on climbs like the last one of this stage. Roglic seems to have no ill effects from his 2 falls earlier in the race and we expect his team Jumbo-Visma to rip apart the competition before the 2 main riders of the team Roglic and Vingegaard battle it out for the win. In this instance, we think the terrain suits Roglic better and that’s why we go with him.
Our Each-way Prediction: Jonas Vingegaard @ 1/4 (1.25)
Roglic’s main rival also happens to be his teammate Jonas Vingegaard. The 2023 Tour de France winner is known for his ability to ride fast up very steep climbs. He will try to stay close to Roglic, if not beat him, at all costs so if we think the Slovenian will win we can safely assume that Vingegaard will be around too and also finish in the top 3. Could it be one-two for Jumbo-Visma this Saturday?
Our Dark Horse Prediction: Juan Ayuso @ 16/1 (17.00)
For our dark horse to win stage 8 we pick the 20-year-old Spanish rider Juan Ayuso. Despite his youth, Auso is one of the main favourites for the white jersey and he might have an advantage over everyone else.
The Spaniard spends a lot of time exactly in this part of the country when training for races. He knows the terrain well. He has climbed these same mountains numerous times. So, if his legs feel fresh enough we can see Ayuso attack on the final climb and upsetting the top favourites.
La Vuelta Stage 8 Odds
Now we’ve made our picks here are the odds for the top 10 favourites to win Stage 8:
Primoz Roglic 5/1 (6.00)
Jonas Vingegaard 9/1 (10.00)
Romain Bardet 9/1 (10.00)
Lennard Kamna 12/1 (13.00)
Rernco Evenepoel 14/1 (15.00)
Sergio Higuita 14/1 (15.00)
Juan Ayuso 16/1 (17.00)
Lennart Van Eetvelt 22/1 (23.00)
Romain Gregoire 22/1 (23.00)
Santiago Buitrago 22/1 (23.00)
Our first 2 picks from above are the top 2 favourites for the stage and this only strengthens our belief that the main GC contenders will be on the hunt for a stage win and bonus seconds.
Our dark horse pick Ayuso is also among the top 10 favourites. For him to win though the weather might have to help too. Ayuso is fearless on a wet surface, so if a thunderstorm or two hit the roads watch out for him coming to the front.
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