He took it easy for a long time, only to be the best again in the end: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) celebrated his third stage win of the tour on stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia 2024. On the 152 kilometres between Spoleto and the mountain finish in Prato di Tivo, it was ultimately a sprint out of the group of favourites that brought him his next success. Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) finished in second place ahead of Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale).
For most of the day, a leading group was at the front, including Georg Steinhauser (EF Education EasyPost) and Simon Geschke (Cofidis). The escapees dominated the race right up to the final climb, with Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) being the last of them to be caught four kilometres from the finish. Things remained calm after that, before individual attacks were launched in the final two kilometres. Pogacar followed all of them without any problems. He only became active himself in the last 200 metres, when he got out of the saddle and set off on a sprint that nobody was able to follow.
Changes in the top 10, change in white
Pogacar, who had already won the same stage at Tirreno-Adriatico in 2021, said in the winner's interview that a stage win today was not planned from the outset. "It was only when we rode into the first long climb that we started to ride for a stage win." His team had prepared him very well for this victory. Then he was already looking ahead. "I hope tomorrow will be a fairly relaxed day, but I also know that the last 50 kilometres (on the way to Naples) are quite tricky and can be dangerous. We have to be focussed and stay focussed until tomorrow evening. Then it's a rest day, I can't wait for that."
With his next victory and the corresponding bonus seconds, Pogacar further extended his lead in the overall standings. He now leads Martinez by 2:40 minutes. Otherwise, Luke Plapp (Team Jayco-AlUla), who also had to relinquish the white jersey, Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), who won the Giro d'Abruzzo in Prato di Tivo a month ago, and Filippo Zana (Team Jayco-AlUla) had to bid farewell to the top 10.
Back in white is Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike). Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) and Einer Rubio (Movistar) made up a lot of ground by being part of today's leading group, with Jan Hirt (Soudal - Quick Step) completing the top 10. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) reached the finish in the Grupetto and thus defended his lead in the points classification. Pogacar, on the other hand, extended his lead in the mountains jersey with a whopping 50 points in today's finale.
Giro d'Italia 2024: Results - the top 10 of stage 8
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 4:02:16
- Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:00
- Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +0:00
- Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) +0:02
- Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:02
- One Rubio (Movistar) +0:02
- Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike) +0:02
- Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:11
- Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) +0:13
- Alex Baudin (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +0:21
The current standings in the overall standings
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 28:14:42
- Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) +2:40
- Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +2:58
- Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +3:39
- Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike) +4:02
- Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) +4:23
- Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana Qazaqstan) +5:15
- One Rubio (Movistar) +5:28
- Thymen Arensman (Ineos Greandiers) +5:30
- Jan Hirt (Soudal - Quick Step) +5:53
How the 8th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2024 went
Once again, there was plenty of steam on the boiler right from the start. It was uphill right from the start. And the riders attacked immediately. Steinhauser and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal - Quick Step) were two of the most active riders in the early stages and were in almost every group. But then also in the right one.
This formed on the second climb of the day, the first categorised one. On the 16-kilometre climb to Forca Capistrello, more than 30 riders broke away and split up several times. In addition to Steinhauser and Alphilippe, Geschke, Nairo Quintana, stage winner Pelayo Sanchez (both Movistar), Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich) and the Ineos duo of Jhonatan Narvaez and Magnus Sheffield were also among them. On the descent of the mountain, the group of the day was formed, consisting of 14 pros. However, they worked together more badly than well.
Not perfect cooperation
That's why the lead didn't develop as it could have, because UAE Team Emirates was happy with the group in the peloton and took it easy. Nevertheless, it was no more than two and a half minutes. There were still 70 kilometres to the finish.
The race situation subsequently stabilised, but with 45 kilometres to go on the approach to the second mountain classification (3rd category), only a good minute of the lead remained. Steinhauser was too slow, he was the first to make a tentative attack and thus at least significantly extended the group's lead again, but was unable to shake off anyone. Nothing more happened until the summit. Geschke took the mountain points ahead of Steinhauser, as he had done in the first classification, and then it was downhill for 25 kilometres.
Pogacar sprints to victory
The breakaway then entered the 14.7 kilometre long final climb with 40 seconds. There, the group quickly broke up. Alaphilippe let it roll out and Quintana was also passed. A little later, the Ineos duo also finished. Steinhauser was also dropped nine kilometres before the finish, with Paret-Peintre being the last remaining rider, who saved himself until the four-kilometre mark.
After that it remained quiet - until 1.8 kilometres before the finish. Then Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) attacked. But this was just as unsuccessful as all other tentative attempts. So it came down to the sprint. And Pogacar was once again the best there.
