Giro d'Italia stage 8 - Live coverage

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia, a hilly race around Naples.

We're off and running for what will be an intense and nervous stage 8 of the Giro. After a short neutral zone of 2.4km, we're already seeing some attacks off the front. 

It's already going at an extremely difficult pace on this lumpy and technical circuit. The route offers no let up from start to finish. 

Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC) is making it hard from the start and trying to force a breakaway. A surprise? No, he's targeted this stage and said he wants to win it however he can. He must sense the winner will come out of a breakaway today. 

Van Der Poel had something going for a bit, but the pace has lulled after the peloton brought the breakaway back. 

143km to go - Mathieu Van Der Poel goes solo

It's been a rapid start in Naples. Van Der Poel is still off the front by 10 seconds and he's being chased by Thomas De Gendt (LTS), Andrea Vendrame (ACT) and Biniam Girmay (IWG). The peloton is at 55 seconds. 

The breakaway is growing with about 21 riders bridging the gap to Van Der Poel. Names to follow. 

Here are the names of the 21 riders in the breakaway. 

Guillaume Martin (COF)

Diego Ulissi (UAD)

Sylvain Moniquet (LTS)

Harold Tejada (AST)

Davide Gabburo (BCF)

Jorge Arcas (MOV)

Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (TFS)

Edoardo Zardini (DRA)

Lilian Calmejane (ACT)

Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC)

Fabio Felline (AST)

Thomas De Gendt (LTS)

Wout Poels (TBV)

Andrea Vendrame (ACT)

Simone Ravanelli (DRA)

Mirco Maestri (EOK)

Jasha Sütterlin (TBV)

Mauro Schmid (QST)

Biniam Girmay (IWG)

Samuele Rivi (EOK)

Harm Vanhoucke (LTS)  Peloton is at 1'40"

Thomas De Gendt attacked off the front of the breakaway to try and break things up in the front group, but his acceleration was unsuccessful. There are still 21 riders in the break. 

With the gap holding at 1'40", Trek Segafredo aren't happy with this composition. They have their entire team chasing at the front of the peloton. 

125km to go - 21 riders off the front

Have a read of today's stage preview by Barry Ryan. Today is a unique day at the Giro, it's basically a mini-classic through the streets of Naples. 

The gap to the 21 riders is growing - it's 2 minutes now with 120km to go. Many of the potential stage favourites are in this break. 

Edward Theuns (Trek - Segafredo) is pulling through with his teammates - this could have been a stage that suited him, but it looks like he'll have bigger fish to fry later. We're getting close to the first intermediate sprint point. 

The breakaway is less than 1km to the first intermediate sprint. 

We're reached the intermediate sprint at Lago Patria, Girmay rolls through first with not much pressure and adds 12 points to the ciclamino standings. 

Results of the first intermediate sprint at Lago Patria (37.4km):

1. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux) 

2. Edoardo Zardini (Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli) 

3. Mauro Schmid (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) 

4. Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) 

5. Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto Soudal) 

6. Mirco Maestri (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team) 

7. Simone Ravanelli (Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli) 

8. Samuele Rivi (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team) 

The time check at the first TV point was 2'22" - 112km to go. 

Jacopo Mosca (Trek - Segafredo) is doing a lot of work to keep this breakaway at two minutes. It's going to be a hard day for Trek, and they're likely hoping other teams will eventually help share the load. 

Trek is doing a good job of keeping the breakaway close. They've chopped off 20 seconds from the breakaway's lead with 108km to go. It feels like the escapees have backed off just slightly. 

Bahrain Victorious has moved up alongside Trek Segafredo, so has Bora-hansgrohe. 

Here's the average speed after the first hour of racing - a fairly high 47.1kph. Maybe about 5kph faster than we have seen in previous stages. 

100km to go - Break of 21 holding a 2 minute gap

Jacopo Guarnieri (Groupama - FDJ) has a puncture 100km from the finish. It's moving a quick pace today, but he should have no problem catching back on at this point of the stage. 

Team BikeExchange - Jayco has taken over the front of the peloton. 

Van Der Poel is definitely one of the main drivers in this breakaway. The gap is hovering at 2'15".  

Very shortly, the front group will get their first glimpse of the climb at Monte di Procida. They'll scale it three times before it becomes a classified climb (on the fourth passage) and offers GPM points. 

Fernando Gaviria and Max Richeze, two of the fastest men on UAE Team Emirates are helping João Almeida get back into the bunch after a puncture. 

The break has summited the climb for the first time. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) led them over the top.

Jasha Sütterlin (Bahrain Victorious) has sat up out of the breakaway, collected a load of bidons from the car and is soft pedalling back to the bunch. 

Jasha Sütterlin drops out of the break - 88km to go

With 85km to go, the gap is holding at 2 minutes

Here's a reminder of the riders in the breakaway: Guillaume Martin (COF), Diego Ulissi (UAD), Sylvain Moniquet (LTS), Harold Tejada (AST), Davide Gabburo (BCF), Jorge Arcas (MOV), Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (TFS), Edoardo Zardini (DRA), Lilian Calmejane (ACT), Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC), Fabio Felline (AST), Thomas De Gendt (LTS), Wout Poels (TBV), Andrea Vendrame (ACT), Simone Ravanelli (DRA), Mirco Maestri (EOK), Mauro Schmid (QST), Biniam Girmay (IWG), Samuele Rivi (EOK) and Harm Vanhoucke (LTS).

Gap at 2'20"

We're almost at the halfway mark of this stage. 

One team that's been pretty quiet so far in the stage is Ineos. Check out this article by Alasdair Fotheringham about the team's strategy: Ineos Grenadiers playing long game at Giro despite second show of strength

Jumbo Visma's Koen Bouwman won an exciting stage yesterday. Here's what he had to say about his first grand tour win:

"Unbelievable," his said via team release. "This was the first real chance for me after our classification riders collapsed on Etna. I had perfect legs today and was able to sprint for the mountain points every time. Although I had one bad moment on the climb, I could return to the group at my own pace. After the descent, I felt good again."

The gap to the breakaway is gradually ticking up to 2'40" at the moment. They're getting close to the base of Monte de Procida again for the second time. 

Here's a look at the map version of today's stage. The race skirts the coast of Naples quite a bit before heading inland to the hills. 

It's a great day for a bike race in Naples! The temperature is a pleasant 22 degrees Celsius under sunny skies. 

In the second hour of racing, the average speed has decreased slightly to 43.9kph. 

Wilco Kelderman (Bora - Hansgrohe) is up near the front leading the peloton, and meanwhile, Riders are starting to get dropped out of the peloton, including Mark Cavendish (Quickstep Alpha Vinyl).

But Cav has made it back in the bunch! There's 60km to go with a gap of 3 minutes. 

For the first time, we're seeing the breakaway's advantage creep up to the three minute mark. 

They're onto Monte de Procida for the penultimate time. The next time through they'll have KOM points available. 

Now the peloton is climbing up the penultimate climb and we can see Caleb Ewan hanging on with Cavendish.

50km to go - gap to leaders steady at 2'23

An attack from Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)! 

Mathieu Van Der Poel on the attack - 45km to go

Some riders have joined up with Van Der Poel: Guillaume Martin (COF), Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (TFS), Wout Poels (TBV), Mauro Schmid (QST) and Biniam Girmay (IWG).

More riders are bridging across to the leaders, just a few have been dropped after that attack from Mathieu Van Der Poel.

The attacks are still coming out of the front group and new leaders are forming: Davide Gabburo (BCF), Jorge Arcas (MOV), Thomas De Gendt (LTS), Simone Ravanelli (DRA) and Harm Vanhoucke (LTS).

40km to go - the breakaway is splitting

Just one of the incredible views here in Napoli. 

The five leaders are less than 3km to the second intermediate sprint in Bacoli.

Meanwhile, the gap to the peloton has grown to 3'35 with 37km to go. We're officially at the business end of today's stage. 

Results of the second intermediate sprint at Bacoli (115.7km):

1. Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto Soudal) 

2. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) 

3. Davide Gabburo (Bardiani CSF Faizanè) 

4. Jorge Arcas (Movistar Team) 

5. Simone Ravanelli (Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli) 

35km to go - Ravanelli dropped from break

So we have Davide Gabburo (BCF), Jorge Arcas (MOV), Thomas De Gendt (LTS) and Harm Vanhoucke (LTS) driving the break. They have 22 seconds on their chasers. 

The leaders are cresting the Cat. 4 Monte di Procida. 

Results of the KOM at Monte di Procida (Cat. 4):

1. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) - 3pts

2. Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto Soudal) - 2pts

3. Jorge Arcas (Movistar Team) - 1pt

30km to go - leaders have 20 seconds on chase group

The same four riders are leading the race:  Gabburo, Arcas, De Gendt and Vanhoucke. The gap is growing to 40 seconds. 

But the chasers have cut the gap down to 20 seconds with 25km to go.

Guillaume Martin (COF), Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC), Wout Poels (TBV), Mauro Schmid (QST) and Biniam Girmay (IWG) are chasing hard, but the gap isn't coming down. It's sitting at 30 seconds.

20km to go - Four leaders at 35 seconds

Samuele Rivi (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team) has been caught by the bunch. 

Trek Segafredo has moved back to the front of the bunch, which is more than four minutes behind the leaders with 16km to go. 

15km to go - Gabburo, Arcas, De Gendt, Vanhoucke lead at 35 seconds

The gap is not budging. It's stuck at 40 seconds to the first chase group. The peloton is a further 3'55" back.

10km to go

The leaders are starting to look at each other with less than 10km to go. They don't have much time to play with, just 30 seconds now. 

Kämna has attacked out of the bunch, but the maglia rosa was quickly on his back wheel.

The break is losing some time to the first chase group, Martin (COF), Van Der Poel (AFC), Poels (TBV), Schmid (QST) and Girmay (IWG). The gap is just 15 seconds with 6km to go.

5km to go - break at 15 seconds

The chasers are closing in on the quartet with less than 3km left in the race. 

And those chasers are Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC) and Biniam Girmay (IWG). The gap is 10 seconds with 2km to go!

The two chasers haven't caught the leaders, but are just metres behind. 

Lots of shoe tightening. De Gendt's teammate, Harm Vanhoucke goes to the front to lead it out. 

And it's a win for Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal)! Davide Gabburo (BCF) is second. 

Well done to Thomas De Gendt! Winner of stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia. 

Here's what De Gendt had to say after the stage...

"Today was one of those days that suits me. It looks a little bit like the Barcelona stage in Volta a Catalunya - always up and down. It's hard to recover. It's also hard to close the gap.

“But 10 years after the Stelvio stage, I finally won a stage in the Giro again. If you would have asked me two weeks ago, if I was able to win a stage in the Giro I would have said no because I was in such bad Shape. But now the good legs are coming.”

De Gendt celebrates on the podium as his teammates watch on

Trek-Segafredo's Juan Pedro López continues for another day in the maglia rosa after fending off a late attack from second-placed Lennard Kämna

Biniam Girmay was frustrated that he and Mathieu van der Poel were marked so heavily but accepted the reality of the race...

"I try all my best since the start and then in the finish but it's the race. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. Today I'm really happy with my performance. I did my best and had everything good.

"We played together really well. But everybody was looking at me and Mathieu so it was impossible to move all the time by ourselves so today it's like this."

Check out our report on the action-packed stage 8 with full results and photo gallery here

Meanwhile, here's a look back at that final kilometre and the battle for victory.

We'll have more news and reaction coming in from stage 8 via our men on the ground Barry Ryan and Alasdair Fotheringham, so stay tuned for that.

In the overall standings, there's one major change as Guillaume Martin leaps up to fourth overall! The Frenchman trailed in 33 seconds today but still finished three minutes up on the peloton.

He now jumps up 24 places to fourth overall, 1:06 down on race leader López.

Here's our news piece from Romain Bardet ahead of tomorrow's summit finish at Blockhaus...

Romain Bardet: Nowhere to hide when Giro d’Italia hits Blockhaus

“Friday’s stage created a lot of fatigue. It’s true that we thought there would be more attacks in the finale but when it’s not a summit finish, it’s difficult to make the difference, especially in the first week when the level is so even,” Bardet said in Naples. “You need the fatigue to build up before we see more attacks and more gaps.”

One major change in the GC standings as Guillaume Martin moves up to fourth overall.

Giro d'Italia: GC standings after stage 8

Simon Yates confirms knee injury from stage 4 crash in Giro d’Italia

Briton upbeat about Sunday’s crunch stage despite injury

Van der Poel our Giro d'Italia rider of the day despite missing victory

Dutchman showed his strength in establishing the break and provoking the winning move in Naples

We'll have more news and reaction coming in, including from João Almeida ahead of tomorrow's stage to Blockhaus. We'll also have a preview of the stage, the second summit finish of the race.