Sandwiched between a demanding summit finish and a pivotal time trial, stage 8 looks at first glance like something of a transitional stage but history tells us there is rarely such a thing at the Giro d’Italia.
The long, hilly haul through Umbria and into the Marche certainly lends itself to a breakaway going the distance, but the finishing circuit around Fossombrone will certainly tempt the puncheurs into action, and possibly some of the overall contenders to boot.
After tackling the short but sharp Cappuccini climb, the race passes Fossombrone for the first time with 45km to go before heading immediately up the category 2 Monte delle Cesane, which features some ramps that touch 18%. The route then loops around to tackle the 2.8km ascent of Cappuccini all over again. With the finish just 6km from the summit, expect some fearsome accelerations on its hairpins.
We'll be keeping our eyes on Mads Pedersen if the group finds itself together on the final straight, but puncheurs like Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) or Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) could be in luck in the field is more fragmented.
There's every chance that after the general classification truce on stage 7, we may see Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) or Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) make a move on the final 2.8km ascent.
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Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews until 2024. He is currently Editor-in-chief at Domestique. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
