If Levi Leipheimer is the overall leader of the '08 Vuelta with some five rivals within just two minutes of his time, the lead in the overall team category is just as tight: Astaná is the leader but with only a 44-second advantage over Caisse d’Epargne. Euskaltel is in third place. In the overall points category, Alejandro Valverde is the leader and the favourite for the final victory. Alessandro Ballan reigns in the King of the Mountain category, but with Moncoutie and Gárate right behind him. Alberto Contador is the leader in the combined category.

Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre lived the two sides of the 8th Vuelta stage. The Madrid native was in very strong form, but wasn't able to reap any rewards for his effort: “You can’t gain anything when there's nothing there to gain. And with these uphill climbs that have hardly any incline it was impossible to get away from people who are only intent on following you”. Carlos Sastre, on the other hand was quite satisfied despite having given up five seconds. The CSC leader had been in a much worse situation when he dropped behind on the first uphill stretch of the climb: "Starting up Pla de Beret, I dropped behind because we had begun to go up very fast and I had cramps. But we took out the calculator and little by little I regained my strength. That's why I'm content: we saved the day".

Frenchman David Moncoutie earned the victory in the eighth Vuelta stage, starting from Andorra and finishing at Pla de Beret. The Cofidis racer was the lone survivor of a breakaway that also included Jolly, Kern, Garate and Eskov. Among the favourites, plenty of attacks, but very little time difference. The best was Alejandro Valverde who earned the bonus. Albert Contador finished third in the stage and Igor Antón came in fourth. All of them had the same time. Only five seconds later, Ezequiel Mosquera crossed the finish line after leading the chase along with Carlos Sastre who, despite dropping back in the first metres of the final climb, was capable of recovering and cutting his losses. The overall leadership once again goes to Levi Leipheimer, but the time differences are still minimal among the top ranked racers.

Although he may have been described as a “domestique” and he is certainly not a three-week stage race specialist, Alessandro Ballan is in truth one of the world’s leading cyclists. The Italian Lampre rider was sincere about yesterday’s performance: “I still can’t believe it. I was lucky enough to be in the day's break, and furthermore the main group allowed us to build up a considerable lead, but I was sure that we would be caught in the end. The last climb was very difficult and I felt good, but it wasn’t until the last three kilometres that I started to think that I could win”. Ballan also admitted that it will be very difficult for a rider of his characteristics to hang on to the Golden Jersey in the coming stages.

Today’s press highlights three points about yesterday’s stage: the fog, Alessandro Ballan and Alberto Contador. “El País” opens with: "Contador sends Valverde a warning". The article goes on to mention that the riders competed yesterday in temperatures that were 20ºC below those registered last week in Cordoba. “El Mundo” opens with: "Alessandro Ballan graduates in the Pyrenees". “ABC”, in turn, opens with: "The Vuelta follows in the wake of Alberto Contador". “La Razon”, meanwhile, focuses on the new bearer of the Golden Jersey: "Ballan rises out of the fog".

This Sunday’ stage sees the riders competing in the Pyrenees for the second day running: 151 kilometres between Andorra and Pla de Beret, a relatively short route that includes four climbs that are sure to add excitement to the race. El Cantó may well serve as the launching point for the first break of the day, although the serious racing is more likely to take place during the last third of the stage. Here the riders will have to tackle Puerto de la Bonaigüa and Pla de Beret, almost thirty kilometres of constant climbing broken only by the rapid descent of Bonaigüa. The favourites will once again have an opportunity to set differences, above all the climbers, who will be out to gain as much time as possible in the GC. Contador, Sastre and Leipheimer will be sure to put Valverde to the test following his uncertain performance during yesterday's first mountain stage.