The Giro is in Central Italy. The riders set off from Spoleto, an ancient town in the foothills of the Apennines. It’s the fifth time that it hosts a stage start in the Italian Grand Tour, while two stages finished here. Robbie McEwen sprinted to triumph in 2004 before Luis Felipe Laverde won from the breakaway in 2007.
The 2007 race came down the Forca di Cerro and the 8th stage starts in the opposite direction – so, uphill. The Forca di Cerro is 8.8 kilometres and rises at 4.3%. No KOM points are available at the summit, riders with blue dream have to wait for the second ascent to gain points. The Forca Capistrello adds up to 16 kilometres, while the average gradient sits at 5.6%.
The succeeding 70 kilometres are played out on undulating terrain and then the Croce Abbio appears. The 7.5 kilometres climb at 4.9% precedes a long descent to the base of the Prati di Tivo. The 14.6 kilometres climb at 7% kicks in immediately.
The Prati di Tivo was only once before included in the Giro. Giovanni Battaglin turned out on top in 1975. It was the first big win in his career. Six years later he won both the Vuelta and the Giro, which were held back to back in those days.
Still, the current peloton is familiar with the Prati di Tivo. Tadej Pogacar soloed to victory on the mountain in the 2021 Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing 6 seconds ahead of Simon Yates.
The second intermediate sprint comes with 3, 2 and 1 seconds, while the first three riders on the line gain 10, 6 and 4 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX 8th stage 2024 Giro d’Italia.
Stage 8 starts at 12:30 and the race is expected to finish around 17:15 – both are local times (CET).
Giro d’Italia 2024 stage 8: routes, profiles, videos
Click on the images to zoom
