Giro d’Italia 2024 Stage Report: It seemed like Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) was going to drag off a shock stage win, however solely 4,2 kilometres from the end, the UAE Staff Emirates pulled him in. Rafal Majka towed his pink chief, Tadej Pogačar, into the ultimate 2 kilometres after which the assaults began from the group of favourites. The Slovenian coated all of the strikes earlier than Majka lead him out for his third stage victory.
Stage 8 ultimate kilometre
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Stage win No.3 for Tadej Pogačar
Tadej Pogačar has taken his third stage victory of the 2024 Giro d’Italia. The Slovenian sprinted to victory on the summit of the Prati di Tivo, the final climb of stage 8, and made it look very straightforward. Clearly he nonetheless maintain the general lead.
This can be a brief stage with no flat drags. Proper after the beginning, the route goes over the Forca di Cerro and Forca Capistrello (over 16km), passes close to the Terminillo massif and reaches Capitignano, rising and falling repeatedly, after which ascends alongside the western facet of the Passo Capannelle. The climb ends a brief distance from the go, in Croce Abbio, and a prolonged descent of practically 30km will result in the foot of the closing climb. The roads are ever bending, with two effectively lit tunnels alongside the route. The final 14 km rise steadily in the direction of the ski resort. The closing climb (14.5km) has a 7% common gradient (with peaks topping out at 12%) and 22 hairpin bends. The slopes are sharper within the first half, touching the steepest gradients in Pietracamela, the place the intermediate dash is about. The ultimate three kilometres have a gentle 7% pitch. The house straight (approx. 300m) is on 6m broad tarmac.
Pink mitts, pink laptop, pink handlebar tape, pink….
It was motion from the beginning of stage 8. A lot of the peloton needed to be within the ‘break of the day’ so there have been many assaults on the primary uncategorised climb of the day. Georg Steinhauser (EF Training-EasyPost) and Ewen Costiou (Arkéa-B&B Inns) managed to get away, however at first of the Forca Capistrello (16.3km at 5.6%), the primary categorised climb, the race was all collectively.
Pink shorts immediately for Pogačar
On the primary kilometres of the climb, a really giant main group was allowed to separate off the entrance. This included Romain Bardet, Nairo Quintana, Jhonathan Narváez, Michael Storer and Julian Alaphilippe. The French double ex-World champion attacked twice, this precipitated the group to separate. From this thinned group, Steinhauser, Simon Geschke and Bardet (the best-placed within the break), rode away. Valentin Paret-Peintre managed to cross to them on the second a part of the climb.
Climbs from the beginning in Spoleto
The 4 got here excessive of the Forca Capistrello 30 seconds forward of the following chase group, together with Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers) and Alessandro Verre (Arkéa-B&B Inns). Narváez and Alaphilippe weren’t far behind and had a couple of seconds on Storer, Quintana, Pelayo Sánchez (Movistar), Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco AlUla), Martin Marcellusi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) and Henok Mulubhran (Astana Qazaqstan).
A brief however onerous day forward
After the descent of the Forca Capistrello, the teams got here collectively off the entrance of the peloton. There was now a lead break of 14 of riders. The peloton had UAE Staff Emirates setting the tempo, this stored the break shut. They have been by no means allowed greater than 2:30, so Pogačar’s general lead was by no means in peril. Bardet was greater than 5 minutes down.
The motion was quickly to start out
Forty-five kilometres from the end, the leaders solely had simply 1 one minute, this led to some unrest on the Passo Capannelle (8.1km at 4.7%), the penultimate climb of the day. However issues calmed down and the break managed to take a bit of extra time. On the foot of Prati di Tivo, their lead was lower than 30 seconds. Valentin Paret-Peintre determined he had a greater probability on his personal. The French climber left the opposite escapees and put up a courageous battle in opposition to the chasing favourites.
A minimum of the climate was good
Julian Alaphilippe had one other good day
The group had thinned out fairly a bit. Juan Pedro López, Luke Plapp and Alexey Lutsenko and others, needed to let go early on the climb. On the entrance, Valentin Paret-Peintre continued to push on, however simply over 4 kilometres from the end line, the chase group, led by Rafal Majka, caught the Frenchman. Majka then stored the tempo excessive, which prevented any assaults. Pogačar was sat comfortably on the Polish rider’s wheel, ready for any strikes from the others.
UAE Staff Emirates deliberate on making the stage onerous
Valentin Paret-Peintre determined to go solo from the break
It was Antonio Tiberi who shook the tree, just below 2 kilometres from the end. Pogačar jumped on his wheel, as did Cian Uijtdebroeks, Einer Rubio, Ben O’Connor, Daniel Felipe Martínez, Geraint Thomas and Thymen Arensman. The Dutchman then launched an assault as quickly as he caught the group. Pogačar wasn’t going to let him go after which coated a second try by Tiberi. Assaults by Storer and one other by Arensman have been all shut down by the pink jersey.
Antonio Tiberi began the motion within the finale
Pogačar had no issues overlaying the assaults within the finale
Pogačar: ‘Come on then!’
Arensman got here to the entrance to tempo Geraint Thomas, however Majka additionally got here again to the top of the race to lead-out Pogačar. He launched Pogačar to the road, however he had no competitors within the dash, in what seemed like a simple win. Martínez was better of the remaining and completed second, forward of O’Connor.
The win goes too….
Tadej Pogačar – Making domination look straightforward
Stage winner and Maglia Rosa, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Staff Emirates): “I used to be not anticipating to win in any respect immediately. However as a group we rode tremendous effectively from the start. We hit the final climb with a great benefit. Rafal Majka did an awesome job within the lead out. It’s wonderful to win once more right here at Prati di Tivo. As quickly as we survived the primary lengthy categorised climb, my team-mates needed me to go for the stage win. On the backside of the final climb, once I noticed the fellows, Felix [Grossschartner] and Rafal have been nonetheless doing effectively, I grew to become assured that I might win immediately. We already noticed Dani Martinez doing excellent finishes this 12 months, clearly I used to be considering of him as my important opponent, however he wasn’t the one one. Antonio Tiberi tried a couple of instances. However I had it roughly below management. I hope it’s a soothing day tomorrow however the final 50km are tough so I should keep focus until we attain Naples and after that I believe it’s a relaxation day.”
What number of instances will we see this within the subsequent two weeks?
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Giro d’Italia Stage 8 End result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Staff Emirates in 4:02:16
2. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe
3. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
4. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious at 0:02
5. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
6. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar
7. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:11
9. Michael Storer (Aus) Tudor at 0:13
10. Alex Baudin Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:21.
Giro d’Italia Total After Stage 8:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Staff Emirates in 28:14:42
2. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:40
3. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:58
4. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 3:39
5. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 4:02
6. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 4:23
7. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 5:15
8. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 5:28
9. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 5:30
10. Jan Hirt (CZ) Soudal Fast-Step at 5:53.
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