"The sprint is always a gamble, but I had the legs to win" - Primoz Roglic thrilled with Vuelta a Espana victory

Primoz Roglic has won the eighth stage of the Vuelta a Espana with a very hard finish in Xorret de Catí. The Slovenian Jumbo-Visma rider beat Remco Evenepoel and Juan Ayuso in the final sprint. His teammate Sepp Kuss is the new race leader.

The Slovenian was very satisfied with the victory after having recovered from the fall suffered a few days ago: "It's been nice, above all I'm happy because I recovered after the fall and now I'm enjoying it. We go day by day. We always hope for the best. The guys did a great job controlling a very strong breakaway and in the end there was no other option."

The GC battle was all about the final ascent and Roglic played with his chances. With Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss alongside he didn't try to attack the race but instead eyed a sprint, where he was also a favourite. As Remco Evenepoel put out serious watts in the final ascent, Roglic followed him directly - even when Sepp Kuss attacked.

Then in the final meters it was all about the sprint. "It was hard, it was the first time, I didn't know it, the sprint is always a gamble, but I had the legs to win," he concluded. He outsprinted Remco Evenepoel to win his first stage in the race, cut the gap to the Belgian, and saw Kuss jump into the red jersey. An almost ideal day for Jumbo-Visma who make tactically important gains on the day.