Chavas retains red as Stuyven wins crash-hit Vuelta stage

Stage eight of the Vuelta was filled with nasty spills and thrills and when the dust settled Belgian Jasper Stuyven was triumphant.

A massive pile up 50 km from the end put paid to many riders’ hopes. American Tejay van Garderen was the biggest casualty, pulling out with a suspected collarbone fracture.

Later on, one of the stage favourites, Slovakian Peter Sagan, was brought down by one of the organisers’ motorbikes with less than 10k left.

But that did not mean the rest of the race was rudimentary for those who remained on their bikes.

For Stuyven, the win marked the biggest victory of the Trek Factory Racing rider’s career.

Spain’s Pello Bilbao took second place ahead of France’s Kevin Reza in a sprint finish.

Colombia’s Esteban Chaves retains the overall leader’s red jersey, despite getting caught up in the big crash.