Giro Stage 8 preview May 17

The Giro d’Italia’s official race site described Stage 8 as a mixed 156-kilometer route from Chieti to Fermo, with a flat opening along the Adriatic coast before a succession of climbs near the finish. FloBikes said the decisive racing is likely to begin in the final 60 kilometers, where four categorized climbs and several short “walls” could break up the peloton. The stage is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, one day after Jonas Vingegaard won on Blockhaus while Afonso Eulálio kept the pink jersey. ### Where does the stage start to change shape? Stage 8 begins in Chieti and runs flat on wide, mostly straight roads along the Adriatic before the route turns inland after Cupra Marittima, according to the Giro’s official stage page. The organizers list the stage at 155.6 kilometers, with about 1,995 meters of elevation gain. (giroditalia.it) FloBikes described the day as “a tale of two stages,” saying the first two-thirds are almost entirely flat before the terrain changes sharply in the run-in to Fermo. Yahoo’s syndicated version of the preview said the first 96 kilometers are nearly flat before the climbing begins. (giroditalia.it) ### Which climbs define the last hour of racing? The Giro’s official preview says the first categorized climb is Montefiore dell’Aso, listed as a Category 3 ascent of 9.9 km at 3.3%. The route then goes to Monterubbiano, a Category 4 climb of 4.7 km at 5.7%, before the race reaches Fermo for the first time. (flobikes.com) Fermo’s first passage includes the Via Cardarelli wall, which the Giro preview lists at 540 meters at 11.1%, with the Red Bull intermediate point at the top. The riders then descend toward Capodarco, a Category 4 climb of 3.7 km at 5.8%, before the final approach. The final obstacle is Via Reputolo, which the Giro preview lists at 1.3 km at 14.3%. (giroditalia.it) The official stage page says gradients on that climb reach 22%, and the last kilometers continue uphill through narrow urban streets before a short descent at 750 meters to go and a final ramp of about 10% to the line. ### Why are puncheurs and attackers being mentioned for this finish? FloBikes said the up-and-down final segment should suit puncheurs rather than pure sprinters, because the stage combines repeated short climbs with an uphill finish. The Giro’s own preview also said the stage could favor a breakaway, especially after the effort demanded by Blockhaus on Stage 7. (giroditalia.it) The official Giro preview named Giulio Pellizzari of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe as one rider to watch in his home region and also pointed to Giulio Ciccone, who starts from his home city of Chieti. The same preview said riders who lost time on Blockhaus, including Jan Christen and Lennert Van Eetvelt, could have more freedom to attack. (sports.yahoo.com) ### What did Stage 7 change before this route? Jonas Vingegaard won Stage 7 on Friday at Blockhaus, the Giro site said, with Felix Gall second at 13 seconds and Jai Hindley third at 1 minute, 2 seconds. Afonso Eulálio remained in the maglia rosa after that stage. Yahoo’s version of the FloBikes preview said Vingegaard cut his overall deficit to 3 minutes, 17 seconds and moved into second place in the general classification. (giroditalia.it) The same report listed Gall at 3:34, Hindley at 4:25 and Pellizzari at 4:28 before Stage 8. ### When and where can viewers follow the next stages? (giroditalia.it) The Giro’s official schedule lists Stage 8 from Chieti to Fermo for Saturday, May 16, and Stage 9 from Cervia to Corno alle Scale for Sunday, May 17. The official Stage 8 preview says Rai will carry the race in Italy, while FloBikes listed its Canada stream for Stage 8 starting at 7:05 a.m. EDT. (giroditalia.it) (sports.yahoo.com)