Recommended reading

As it happened: Solo winner from break as pink jersey changes hands on Giro d'Italia stage 8

By last updated

197km from Giulianova to Castelraimondo with a 13.1km long at 7.4% sitting in the middle of the route will offer a challenge to the GC standings

Refresh

Buongiorno and welcome to our live coverage of stage 8 of the 2025 Giro d'Italia! 

Yesterday's stage was the beginning of an upheaval in the general classification, with pre-race favourite Primož Roglič seizing the pink jersey, but falling short of GC rival Juan Ayuso on the stage finish.

Giro d'Italia: Juan Ayuso shakes up GC with stage 7 victory atop Tagliacozzo

With four seconds between Ayuso and Roglič, the dynamics of the GC battle today will be charged.

Our news writer James Moultrie is on the ground in Italy and has delved into deep into the GC analysis of the race at it stands.

Read the full piece here.

Here's the profile on our hands today, and for a deeper look at what the stage has in store, check out our full preview.

The neutral start of today's stage is at 12:15 local time with kilometre zero coming roughly 10 minutes after that. 

The race is expected to be chaotic today with a breakaway success definitely on the cards. But, who are Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe fine with letting go up the road? 

The GC is very tight at the moment with just 46" splitting the top 15 riders and just under three minutes splitting the top 25, so the GC could really change today if the breakaway is right. 

The riders have been signing on in front of a packed crowd in Giulianova and are getting ready for the neutralised start. 

It's Primož Roglič's second day in pink at this race. Last time the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider had it he kept it for a day thanks to Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) storming to another stage win. Will today be similar Does the Slovenian want to give the jersey away yet again?

Neutral start

197km to go

The XDS-Astana rider is Max Kanter with Mattia Bais (Polti-VisitMalta) trying to get up the road but that move was marked. 

Attack

Polti-VisitMalta are very keen to get away with both of the Bais brothers as well as Mirco Maestri. Marcellusi is also still trying moves. 

Attack

Bike change

A group of 10 riders get a small gap and the peloton led by Nico Denz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) looks happy. But then new moves come. 

Attack

Three leaders:

Maestri makes it back into the peloton and immediately he is going up the side trying to get back to the front. 

Again, the pace drops in the peloton and the trio up front drag their gap out to 14" as the riders have completed 10km. 

Attack

Puncture

More moves continue to come off the front with Remy Rochas and Clement Davy of Groupama-FDJ trying to get a gap. But, they are swiftly dragged back by Picnic-PostNL. 

Attack

Attack

Attack

Andre Vendrame (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) makes a big effort to join the Van Aert group but that sees the group all come back together. 

Attack

Puncture

170km to go

Embret Svestad-Bårdseng (Arkea-B&B Hotels) has been trying multiple moves on the national day of Norway. But, he is not allowed a gap. 

Attack

More moves are coming off the front as the peloton has split with the likes of Mattia Bais involved in a strong looking break but Visma-Lease a Bike, XDS-Astana and Ineos Grenadiers have missed it so are chasing. 

The peloton is in bits after a very technical descent. There's a frantic chase to try and close the gaps down. 

Embret Svestad-Bårdseng, Doriann Godon, Mattia Bais, Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Voctorious), Timo Kielich (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ) and Marco Brenner (Tudor) are the riders in the chase group as Pedersen, De Pretto and Cattaneo still lead. 

More attacks come behind, though. Visma-Lease a Bike go again with Van Aert and a few others pushing hard to join him. 

Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) goes on the latest attack out of the peloton. 

160km to go

Kielich, Zambanini, Germani, M. Bais and Brenner are dragged back by  the peloton with the others in the gap also swallowed up by the bunch. 

There's a big split in the peloton with a large group losing touch. Not sure if anyone up there in GC is involved in that split, though. 

Anton Kuzmin (XDS-Astana) is well out of the back on his own looking tired and struggling to continue. 

Marcellusi tries yet another move but Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) moves to the front and is now setting a strong tempo with Lidl-Trek also moving to the front to slow the attacking. 

The gap is starting to go out but more attacks have come with Simon Guglielmi (Arkea-B&B Hotels) kicking across the gap. Tratnik is trying to control things and stop all the moves and now the peloton eases. 

Tretnik is joined by teammate, Nico Denz as Van Aert is chatting to his former teammate and the pace is gone in the bunch. The break finally have over 30" for the first time. 

Van Aert goes again with Bilbao, Paul Double (Jayco-AlUla) and multiple other riders and the games start all over again. 

Bilbao nips off the front on his own with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe back on the front yet again. 

150km to go

The leaders are still out front with just 17" as Van Aert and Tjøtta are caught yet again. 

Intermediate sprint (Roccafluvione)

The leaders sit up as two large groups make it across but the peloton are onto them and it is all back together. 

Multiple attacks are coming with Mark Donovan (Q36.5), Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS-Astana), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Romain Bardet (Picnic-PostNL), Quinten Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) and others. 

Onto the category three climb of the Croce di Casale they go. This is a 7.7km climb with an average gradient of 4.6% and a max kick of 10% with Remy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ) trying the latest move with Paul Double (Jayco-AlUla), Lorenzo Fortuunato (XDS-Astana) and Anthony Perez (Cofidis), but all back together again. 

The peloton is very bunched up as the pace slows again but then Double tries to launch once again with Marcellusi and Mattia Bais. They aren't allowed to go. 

Wilco Kelderman (Visma-Lease a Bike) is the latest rider to go but it is just a long line of rider with Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) following the wheels and potentially getting into splits. 

Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) and Nicola Prodhomme (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) try the next move but again they are caught. 

Attack

James Knox (Soudal-QuickStep) rolls off the front solo as Van Aert and Pedersen are dropped by the peloton. 

140km to go

Attack

KoM (Croce di Casale)

Multiple riders come across to the leaders with Visma-Lease a Bike having a rider in this break. Six riders have a gap on the peloton. 

Louis Meintjes (Inetermarche-Wanty) is in this new break after a day at the back. Romain Bardet and Wilco Kelderman also here with Piganzoli, Tonelli and Quintana. This is a very talented group but more moves are coming behind. 

Attack in peloton

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe are trying to stop the attacks but Plapp and Marcellusi get a little gap in the feed zone. 

The break is all back together again. Dani Martinez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is now controlling the peloton. Kelderman and Tonelli have a small gap but the rest re dragged back. 

Kelderman now goes solo with a handful of riders just off the back of the Dutchman's wheel. 

Kelderman is rejoined by Tonelli as well as Jefferson Cepeda (Movistar). But, the attck continue to come. This has been non-stop since the start today. 

All back together. Rochas is the next to go for the umpteenth time today. 

Around 10 riders have a bit of a gap on the peloton with a couple in between. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe controlling things. Or, at least, attempting to control things. 

This latest break have 18" on the peloton led by Lidl-Trek. Could this be the break of the day? 

You can see the list of riders in our graphics above provided by FirstCycling with most of the riders who are in this group. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe were leading the peloton but then Bardet kicks again. 

Bardet flies across the gap with Sylvain Moniquet (Cofidis). XDS-Astana and UAE Team Emirates are now sending riders across the gap as well. This could be dangerous for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. 

Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) goes on the attack to try and join the leaders and this looks like the peloton may have lost control of the break for the first time. 

Just under 3km to the intermediate sprint in Sarnano with 5km to the base of the Sassotetto climb. 

The break have a minute as Mr Breakaway himself, Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane), is just off the back of the breakaway. 

The break is so big they are not working with splits appearing as riders try to drag riders into working. 

Intermediate sprint (Sarnano)

Onto the Sassotetto climb which is 13.1km long with an average gradient of 7.4% with a max kick of 14% as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe have complete control of the peloton with Fortunato being the main threat to Primož Roglič at +2'57" down in GC. 

Dylan van Baarle (Visma-Lease a Bike) pushes clear with Fortunato and Plapp. They want to reduce the group as there is a lot of riders in this break who are not working and are just sitting in. 

Van Baarle has got his wish and the break has split with nine riders becoming 11 riders as the dead wood is distanced. 

100km to go

Lorenzo Fortunato is the new virtual leader of the race as the gap goes over three minutes. 

There's six riders off the back of the leaders and they haven't lost any more time recently. They're 25" off the back and, if they stay in that position, should get back on over the top. 

Bardet ups the tempo in the break to try and whittle the group down even more and now Fortunato pushes on with Van Baarle yet again. 

Fortunato is comfortably in the virtual pink now as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe have allowed the break almost four and a half minutes. It is Gianni Moscon on the front for them in the peloton. 

3km from the top of the Sassotetto climb. 

The chasers has got back on with Andrea Vendrame getting back on. Van Baarle and Fortunato go again and the group splits yet again. 

KoM (Sassotetto)

Bardet and Fortunato are pushing on with a gap of 17" on the rest of the break. 

Steinhauser and Vendrame join Bardet and Fortunato at the front of race with 18" on the rest of the break and over five minutes to the peloton. 

80km to go

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe now pushing the pace a bit more now with Moscon and Denz on the front of the peloton. The gap has been stuck around five minutes. 

Frigo, Kelderman, Plapp and Tarozzi are trying to bridge to the leaders with Arrieta and Howson getting involved too. But they still have over 20" to close on the four leaders. 

Frigo's move has seen the groups come back together again. Plapp, Arrieta, Frigo, Howson, Kelderman and Ulissi join Bardet, Fortunato, Steinhauser and Vendrame with the latter just slipping off the back of the group. 

Recap of stage

60km to go

Just under 4km to go to the base of the Montelago climb as Frigo, Howson and Bouwman are trying to get across with Moniquet and Prodhomme. Fortunato following too. However, they have over a minute and a half to close on the leaders. 

Kelderman and Ulissi attack the leaders with the rest of the break struggling to stay with him. 

50km to go

In the group +1'45" down with Fortunato is down to the blue jersey as well as Frigo, Howson and Prodhomme as they try to bridge back to the leader. But, they have a long way to go to get back. 

Plapp makes it across to Arrieta and Steinhauser in the 2nd group on the road. They are 16" off the back of Kelderman and Ulisi as Arrieta is pushing across solo now. 

There's 17 riders out of the front of the peloton split into seven groups on the road. 

Back in the peloton, Andrea Pasqualon is pushing hard on the front of the peloton for Bahrain Victorious. Could they be forcing Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe back into pink?

Arrieta has dropped Steinhauser and Plapp and is about to join Kelderman and Ulissi at the front of the race.

Plapp amazingly has kicked across to the leaders and has dropped Steinhauser. 

Attack

KoM (Montelago)

40km to go

The times adjust and Fortunato is back in the virtual lead ahead of teammate Ulissi. But, UAE Team Emirates-XRG are working hard to try and make sure Primož Roglič keeps pink. This is very complicated to calculate. 

30km to go

Fortunato leads the virtual GC over Ulissi by 14" and 1'04" to Primož Roglič. 

Oddly, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe have come back to the front of the peloton and are pushing hard. Not sure why they would do that with the virtual GC being so tight and they want to give the jersey away. 

The riders are heading to the Red Bull Kilometre which could be key in the virtual GC if Ulissi takes the 4" available in 2nd on the line as Plapp will take 6". 

Just 2km to the Red Bull KM in Castel Santa Maria. 

20km to go

Fortunato, Bardet, Prodhomme and Vendrame catch Steinhauser in the chase group that are over two minutes down. 

Red Bull KM (Castel Santa Maria)

Back in the peloton, there are multiple teams on the front. Ineos Grenadiers, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Bahrain Victorious and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe all fighting for control of the bunch. 

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe lead through the Red Bull KM as they aim to keep Primož Roglič well positioned. It does see the gap slip a bit, though. It is very close in the virtual GC. 

Arrieta had closed the gap to 53" but it has gone back out to over a minute again as Plapp isn't slowing down at all. 

Ulissi and Kelderman are just 14" behind Arrieta who appears to be fading again. 

As it stands, Diego Ulissi will be in pink as his home race goes into his home region of Tuscany. He has 22" on Fortunato but just 43" on Roglič. 

10km to go

Plapp is very close to the final climb of the day, the 800 metre long Gagliole which has an average of 12%. 

Onto the final climb of the Gagliole. 800m long with an average gradient of 11.9% and a max kick of 14%. 

Ulissi and Kelderman have managed to distance Arrieta for now but the Spaniard will not give up. 

KoM (Gagliole)

5km to go

Attack!

Flamme Rouge

500 metres to go for Plapp. 

Luke Plapp of Jayco-AlUla wins stage eight of the Giro d'Italia 202 after an incredible solo effort from a massive breakaway. 

Wilco Kelderman takes 2nd with Diego Ulissi taking third and 4" bonus. We now wait to see if the Tuscan veteran will take pink into his home region or not. 

Igor Arrieta holds off Nicolas Prodhomme to take 4th. 

Juan Ayuso launches a big sprint and may be given a second but they didn't manage to close Diego Ulissi down enough and the Tuscan will have his big moment in pink tomorrow. 

Stage 8 top 10

General Classification

Juan Ayuso took one second out of Primož Roglič with that intense sprint in the final 200 metres today. 

Latest on Cyclingnews