Stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia: Tadej Pocagar is already thinking about the Tour de France

Cycling control by the UAE Team Emirates, which dedicated itself to controlling a new mountain stage of this Giro d'Italia 2024 with an iron hand. Only Tadej Pogacar moved to respond to timid attacks in the final part and launch a powerful sprint in the last meters to score his third stage victory in this Giro.

Tadej Pogacar saves and sprints for victory in a new high finish in the Giro d'Italia 2024

First real mountain stage in this Giro d'Italia 2024 since the one on the second day in Oropa had an almost single-port configuration without the demand of the one disputed today between Spoleto and Prati di Tivo. 152 kilometers crossing the Abruzzo region, in the heart of the Italian peninsula. Good mid-mountain terrain.

On the profile, the stage promised a battle with a start climbing Forca di Cerro, a port that in this case was not categorized and that was linked to Forca Capistrello, a long second-category port. After that, a long transitional stretch without a flat meter to link in the final part the climbs to Croce Abbio and the final climb to Prati di Tivo, the latter with 14 relentless kilometers always around 7% average gradient.

As expected, the start was electric, with many attacks and a breakaway that did not quite form in which names of a high level continuously tried to sneak in. It was necessary to wait for the second climb of the day for a group of very high level to form with names like Julian Alaphilippe, Jonathan Narváez, Magnus Sheffield, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Romain Bardet, Pelayo Sánchez, or Nairo Quintana.

However, it did not quite make its way due to lack of understanding, with constant attacks, stops, and words of reproach. In fact, it ended up consolidating after the port more due to the permissiveness of a group in which UAE Team Emirates let it happen than the will of the escapees.

After the halfway point of the stage, UAE Team Emirates got to work and that was when the disagreements in the breakaway came to light as the gap began to fall rapidly, especially in the very long descent after cresting Croce Abbio and leading to the foot of the final climb. In fact, at the foot of Prati di Tivo, the escapees were barely arriving with a 30-second lead, so riders like Alaphilippe or the Movistar cyclists, seeing that it was not going anywhere, allowed themselves to be caught by the peloton, saving their strength for a better opportunity.

Only Valentin Paret-Paintre tried to extend the hope that the adventure would come to a successful conclusion on this eighth day of the Giro d'Italia 2024 but was caught when there were still less than 10 kilometers to go. From then on, it was a monologue by UAE Team Emirates that set a high pace that no one dared to attack. Only Max Schachmann tried to change the pace but his effort lasted only a few minutes.

Timid attacks with the finish line banner already in sight to which Tadej Pogacar responded with total solvency and a sprint in the last meters that the Slovenian took without opposition ahead of Daniel Felipe Martínez and Ben O'Connor, with the Slovenian becoming a bit more of a leader in a stage where he clearly dedicated himself to letting the day pass and recovering from the hard effort of the time trial.

Stage 8 Classification

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 4h02'16''
2. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) +00''
3. Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +00''
4. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) +02''
5. Geraint Thomas (INEOS-Grenadiers) +02''
6. Einer Rubio (Movistar Team) +02''
7. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) +02''
8. Thymen Arensman (INEOS-Grenadiers) +11''
9. Michael Storer (Tudor) +13''
10. Alex Baudin (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +21''

General Classification

1. Tadej Poga?ar (UAE Team Emirates)
2. Dani Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) +2'40''
3. Geraint Thomas (INEOS-Grenadiers) +2'58''
4. Ben O'Connor (INEOS-Grenadiers) +3'39''
5. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike), +4'02''
6. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) +4'23''
7. Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana) +5'15''
8. Einer Rubio (Movistar Team) +5'28''
9. Thymen Arensman (INEOS-Grenadiers) +5'30''
10. Jan Hirt (Soudal-QuickStep) +5'53''