Giro 2021 Favourites stage 8: Attackers with climbing legs

foto: Cor VosThe 170 kilometres route features 3,400 vertical metres. Which is quite a lot, although the climbs are never steep. And the finish climb is no big deal either. Chances are that the 8th stage of the Giro turns out to be a day for the breakaway. (Slideshow route/profile)

GC riders have little to gain on the road from Foggia to Guardia Sanframondi. The only long ascent of the day peaks out with more than 50 kilometres, while the finish climb will not enter the Guinness Book of Records as an extremely hard test either.

In short, the 8th stage is perfect for a group of attackers with climbing legs to have it their way.

The first 38 kilometres run predominantly uphill at shallow gradients, which is ideal to ignite a furious battle for the breakaway. The hardest climb of the day appears after 100 kilometres. But, to be frank, it’s not that big of a deal. The ascent to the summit of the Bocca della Selva is 20 kilometres long, but the gradients never exceed 5%.

A long descent – interspersed by short uphill stretches – leads to the base of the finish climb. It’s 8 kilometres long and, again, not steep at all – although some uphill kicks inside the last kilometers could serve as launch pads for decisive attacks.

Favourites 8th stage 2021 Giro d’Italia

*** Thomas De Gendt, Bauke Mollema, Ruben Guerreiro, Alberto Bettiol
** Koen Bouwman, Matteo Fabbro, Jefferson Cepeda, Jonathan Caicedo
* Alessandro De Marchi, Valerio Conti, Felix Großschartner, Michael Storer, Harm Vanhoucke

Another interesting read: route stage 8 Giro d’Italia 2021.