Stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia is the second day in the isolated, little known Apennines of central Italy, with a 197km ride from Giulianova at sea level on the Adriatic coast, up to Castelraimondo in the Le Marche Apennines.
It should be another stage for the breakaway adventurers but also for the GC contenders, so fascinating to watch and follow via the Cyclingnews live updates.
Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) leads stage 7 winner Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) by just four seconds in the new GC standings and the ride to Castelraimondo and especially the late 'muri' climbs in the Le Marche hills will likely be a clash of the two GC super teams.
The 197km stage begins with a gradual approach to the slopes ofthe Teramo and Ascoli Apennines and the first categorised climb of Corce di Casale after 60km. The route then heads towards Sarnano for the climb to Sassotetto ascent, via the Valico di Santa Maria Maddalena and reaches 1455m. It is 13.1km long at 7.4% and peaks after 105km of racing.
It is followed by the Montelago climb after 152km, which adds a further six kilometres of climbing to the stage.
After a long, often technical descent, the final part of the stage is an endless succession of climbs and descents, the steep 'muri' climbs of Le Marche that often shake up Tirreno-Adriatico in March. The same shake-up could happen in the Giro d'Italia.
The stage passes near Castelraimondo and then cruelly includes an extra 25km. Interestingly the Red Bull Kilometre time bonuses are awarded with 19.6km to race. They will surely impact the GC battle because the line is atop the first steep climb at Castel Santa Maria, which lasts two kilometres but kicks up at 12%.
The route then passes Matelica on narrow roads and climbs to Gagliole, with the final climb at just 6.5km to go. It is only 800m long but steep at more pitches that average 12%. The descent takes the riders to a flat final two kilometres before a right-hand corner 400 metres from the finish line. The finish is slightly uphill on a wide road.
We're expecting another long hard day in the saddle for the riders. Breakaway attempts will surely come, even mid-stage on the Sassotetto climb, before the GC riders and their teammates take control.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will be obliged to control the race with Roglič in pink but they face a huge task on one of the most technically difficult stages of the 2025 Corsa Rosa.
Key info
Start: Giulianova
Finish: Castelraimondo
Length: 197km
Start time: 12:15 CEST
Finish time (estimate): 17:15 CEST
Climbs
- Croce di Casale (cat. 3), km. 60.9
- Sassotetto (cat. 1), km. 105.3 (13.1km, avg. 7.4% max 14%
- Montelago (cat. 3), km. 152.1
- Gagliole (cat. 3), km. 190.5
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