Nicolas Edet joined a break in stage eight of the Vuelta a Espana to take the overall race lead as Nikias Arndt took the day's honours.

A group of 13 leaders finished together, with Frenchman Edet 11th, nine minutes and 24 seconds ahead of the peloton to wipe out the advantage Miguel Angel Lopez had forged in red on Friday.

Colombian Lopez was towards the front of that peloton group but the general classification standings were given a different complexion after a ruthless attack on the ride to Igualada.

Edet managed to stay in the mix all the way after a break of 21 riders made their move just before the 20-kilometre mark.

With Lopez and fellow contenders Primoz Roglic and Alejandro Valverde absent from that group, Edet was the best placed as the gap grew throughout the day.

Zdenek Stybar made the first notable bid for the stage victory with around 3km remaining, but the Czech was quickly caught and finished six seconds off the pace.

The congested nature of the attack saw the lead traded in the closing stages, although Ruben Guerreiro looked to have done enough when he held the advantage on the home straight.

As it was, Team Sunweb's German rider Arndt had the pace to register his second Grand Tour win, following on from a 2016 triumph at the Giro d'Italia.

It was a fine result for Dylan Teuns, too, though, as the Belgian came sixth to sit second overall, two minutes and 21 seconds behind Edet.
 

STAGE RESULT

1. Nikias Arndt (Team Sunweb) 3:50:48
2. Alex Aranburu (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)
3. Tosh van der Sande (Lotto Soudal)
4. Ruben Guerreiro (Katusha-Alpecin)
5. Jonas Koch (CCC Team)

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) 32:16:24
2. Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida) +02:21
3. Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) +03:01

Points Classification

1. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) 50
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 48
3. Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) 45

King of the Mountains

1. Angel Madrazo (Burgos BH) 29
2. Sergio Henao (UAE Team Emirates) 17
3. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 16

WHAT'S NEXT?

The last ride before the Vuelta's first rest day is a punishing one. The 94.4km route from Andorra la Vella to Cortals d'Encamp is punctuated with some huge climbs, presenting the opportunity for further significant movement at the front of the race.