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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

Not all those who wander are lost. - J. R. R. Tolkien

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Current racing:

• May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
• May 14 - 18: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
• May 18: Rund um Köln

Upcoming racing:

• May 29 - June 1: Tour of Norway
• June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
• June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné

Latest completed racing:

• May 13: Classique Dunkerque
• May 11: Tro-Bro Léon
• May 10: GP du Morbihan
• May 9: Tour du Finistère
• April 27 - May 4: Tour of Turkey
• April 29 - May 4: Tour de Romandie
• May 1: Rund um den Finanzplaz Eschborn-Frankfurt
• April 27: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• April 24 - 27: Vuelta Asturias
• April 21 - 25: Tour of the Alps
• April 23: La Flèche Wallonne
• April 20: Amstel Gold Race
• April 20: Tour du Doubs
• April 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
• April 18: De Brabantse Pijl

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Giro d'Italia stage eight reports

We posted the report from stage winner Luke Plapp's Team Jayco AlUla with the results.

Here's the report from second-place Wilco Kelderman's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Wilco Kelderman came close to victory on stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia. The Dutch rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike was part of the day’s breakaway, alongside compatriot and teammate Dylan van Baarle. The stage was ultimately won solo by Luke Plapp.

The eighth stage had all the hallmarks of a one-day classic. Early on, a fierce battle unfolded for a spot in the breakaway. Among the key instigators were Wout van Aert, Bart Lemmen, and Kelderman. Eventually, Kelderman and Van Baarle managed to escape the peloton together.

Van Baarle immediately sacrificed himself for his teammate, putting in strong turns at the front of the group. This not only widened the gap to the peloton but also dropped several breakaway companions early on.

Kelderman later pushed on with Italian Diego Ulissi, forming a new lead duo. From behind, Plapp managed to bridge across to them. Once he made contact, the Australian didn’t hesitate long before launching his winning move. Though Kelderman and Ulissi managed to close part of the gap in the final kilometers, second place was the best they could achieve.

Wilco Kelderman & Diego Ulissi finish Giro stage eight. Sirotti photo

Wilco Kelderman:
“I actually had a pretty good day”, Kelderman said. “I didn’t expect that this morning, to be honest—I didn’t feel great when I woke up. I made a few moves early in the stage, which cost a lot of energy. You just have to hope you make the front group at the right moment, though that’s never entirely in your control. In the end, we had a strong group, and Dylan did an excellent job. Luke was just a bit stronger today, so his win is definitely deserved.”

New GC leader Diego Ulissi's Team XDS Astana posted this Giro report:

The rider of XDS Astana Team Diego Ulissi is the new leader of the Giro d’Italia, with his teammate Lorenzo Fortunato now sitting in second place overall.

Stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia delivered a brilliant result for XDS Astana Team: Diego Ulissi claimed the maglia rosa after finishing third on the stage, while Lorenzo Fortunato moved up to second place in the overall standings and successfully defended his lead in the KOM classification.

Diego Ulissi will start stage nine in pink. Sirotti photo

“It was an incredible day! It took a huge effort to make it into the breakaway. We knew this stage was perfect for an attack, so we committed fully to the plan. In the final, (Luke) Plapp was stronger, and it came down to the two of us. At some point, I realized I had a real chance to fight for the GC lead, so I gave absolutely everything I had. The fans on the roadside were shouting that I was racing for the pink jersey — it was just amazing. To wear the maglia rosa at almost 36 years old is an unforgettable achievement. It’s one of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m proud to share it with XDS Astana Team. Choosing to join this team was absolutely the right decision, and today’s result proves it. We now sit first and second in the general classification, and Lorenzo (Fortunato) also delivered an outstanding performance today”, - said Diego Ulissi.

“Tomorrow we start in Tuscany — my home region. That’s something I couldn’t even dream of. I want to thank all my teammates, the staff, and our sponsors for their incredible support”, - added Diego Ulissi, the rider of XDS Astana Team and the new leader of the Giro d’Italia.

“Today’s success is also symbolic for us: May 17 marks the Birthday of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. XDS Astana Team proudly dedicates this sporting achievement to this important occasion and congratulates the President on his Birthday”, - added Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of XDS Astana Team.

Here's the Giro report from Mads Pedersen's Team Lidl-Trek:

The first week of the Giro d’Italia could hardly have gone any better for Mads Pedersen and Lidl-Trek. Three stage wins, five days in pink, whilst the ciclamino jersey was waiting in the wings.

Earlier in the week, when praising his teammates’ heroic efforts to set him up for the win, Mads promised to return the favor, to both the universally-gifted Mathias Vacek, as well as to superstar climber Giulio Ciccone. Heading into Stage 7 Mads was under no illusions that he would not be in pink come the end of the stage, one of only two summit finishes of this Giro. Rather than fade away as the gradient pitched, Pedersen went out like a pink supernova, taking a huge pull on the front to position his teammates perfectly into the climb. With his work done, Mads could soak in his last moments in pink on the ascent to the finish, where he swapped the Maglia Rosa for the Maglia Ciclamino.

Mads Pedersen starts stage eight in the points leader's ciclamino jersey. Sirotti photo

“We wanted to try to make a good result with Vacek today, he deserves it to try and get the pink jersey. With a really good result he would have been able to do that. In that moment when me and Daan Hoole were pulling the break still had three and a half minutes and we knew that with a fast downhill and a few turns together we would catch back a lot of time, and then the whole drag race started and other teams took over the work.

"It’s been super nice, I’ve had nearly a week in the jersey and it’s something that I’ll remember. I’m super proud of all the wins and the win in the pink jersey, and all the teamwork. It’s been an incredible week for the team.”

Here's the Giro report from Igor Arrieta's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

UAE Team Emirates-XRG delivered a solid performance on Stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia, with Igor Arrieta finishing an impressive fourth place on the mountainous route from Castel di Sangro to Tagliacozzo. The 168-kilometer stage featured a an undulating route which saw a strong and numerous group of twenty riders get up the road.

The stage victory went to Luke Plapp (Jayco–AlUla), who attacked from the breakaway and held off the chasers to claim a well-earned win.

Igor Arrieta, the designated man for the break of the day, narrowly missing the podium with his fourth-place finish. It’s a fine result for the Grand Tour debutant who took his opportunity with both hands:

Arrieta: “ I gave it everything in the end today but it was not to be. It was a question of survival at the end. My role was to cover any big moves and when we saw such a big group go up the road the call was made to be present. As it became clear the group could arrive to the line I focussed on going for the stage win but unfortunately was just missing the legs.”

Juan Ayuso signs in for stage eight. Sirotti photo

Behind him, Juan Ayuso showed his GC intent by accelerating from the reduced group of favorites near the line, crossing the line ahead of his overall rivals and gaining a valuable second in the general classification.

With Ayuso now edging closer to the lead and the team firing on all cylinders, UAE Team Emirates-XRG remain a major force as the race heads into its second week. Ayuso also continues to hold the white jersey and UAE continue to lead the teams classification.

Ayuso: “Tomorrow will be a critical day with the gravel sections. It’s a day when you can have bad luck in the wrong moment and it can knock the GC plans back a lot. So we’ll aim to be at the front and stay out of trouble. I think we are the strongest team in the race and I feel lucky to have such great teammates around me.”

Marco Frigo's Team Israel-Premier Tech posted this Giro report:

Marco Frigo made his mark on stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia, being part of a strong breakaway after a frantic start to the day. Unfortunately, Frigo missed out on the winning move and had to see his chances of success disappear on the Italian roads.

“I felt really good today and I really wanted to win this stage,” Frigo explained after the finish.

“But at one point, the race slipped out of my control, and I lost all my chances. It’s really frustrating because it wasn’t due to my legs. Maybe I was unaware at the wrong moment, I don’t even remember now, but suddenly a group of riders got away and opened up a gap that was too big to close. Sometimes, in just 10 seconds, you can lose everything.”

Due to the fast pace and countless attacks, it took nearly 80 kilometers before the breakaway, with Frigo, managed to distance the peloton for good. Eager to improve on his third, fifth, and sixth place finishes from the 2023 Giro d’Italia, the 25-year-old Italian stayed attentive near the front of the group, helping to set the pace on the first long climb of the day.

“Maybe I spent too much energy at the front on the climbs, but when you’re in a group of 20 riders and feeling good, you don’t want to miss out on any dangerous moves. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened in the end,” Frigo said.

Seeing the stage win slip away, Frigo eventually sat up and was caught by the peloton in the final kilometers.

Marco Frigo earlier this year winning stage three of the Tour of the Alps.

“I guess I could have gone all-in to try for a top-10 result, but that’s not what I was aiming for today. I wanted to win, and I also have to manage my energy because there’s still a long way to go in this race, and I need to support Derek [Gee] for the GC too. I just wish I had taken full advantage of this opportunity, as I won’t have many chances for myself in this race.”

Despite the disappointment of missing out on a good opportunity to claim his first Grand Tour stage victory, after finishing second on stage 6 of the Vuelta a España last year, Frigo still found positives in today’s performance.

“This is definitely a big confidence boost for me, looking ahead to what’s coming. My legs were really good today, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the next stages.”

IPT team leader Derek Gee finished the day with the GC favorites and now sits 22nd in the general classification ahead of Sunday’s challenging gravel stage to Siena.

Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this Giro report:

Marche is not just one of the most stunning regions of Italy, it’s also one of the most visited by the first Grand Tour of the season, who has spent at least a day there more than 60 times in the last century. Most recently, before Saturday, this happened one year ago, when Soudal Quick-Step celebrated a great solo victory of Julian Alaphilippe after 120 kilometers in the break.

Julian Alaphilppe winning 2024 Giro d'Italia stage 12 after a very long breakaway. Sirotti photo

This weekend, another breakaway prevailed, Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) being the one who took the win in Castelraimondo after a lively first hour of racing which witnessed some strong attacks of Mattia Cattaneo and James Knox, just two of the riders who were determined to make it in the front group. A total of twenty riders jumped away in the end, enjoying a six-minute gap before some of them began to be distanced on Sassotetto, the longest climb of stage eight.

Behind, the peloton had a rather quiet day, despite the presence of some “muri” in the final 30 kilometers of the day, which means the gaps between the favourites for the general classification – where James Knox is the best placed Soudal Quick-Step rider – remain unchanged ahead of Sunday’s complicated stage on Tuscany’s gravel roads.

And here's the Giro report from Team Groupama-FDJ:

Stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia was made for the breakaway, and the expectations were met. In Castelraimondo, Luke Plapp took the victory, while Rémy Rochas, who managed to enter the right move after a long and hard fight at the start, couldn’t defend his chances until the end. In the bunch, David Gaudu reassured himself and took seventeenth place on the day. Sunday’s “Strade Bianche” stage should bring some action.

Everyone was warned. For a week now, the attackers have had their eyes on the eighth stage of the Giro d’Italia, and almost every team was willing to join the party from Giulianova to Castelraimondo, in the Marche region. As often in such circumstances, a continuous and grueling battle raged for many kilometres at the start. Groupama-FDJ first got in the mix with Kevin Geniets, then Lorenzo Germani and Quentin Pacher, but it was only after the day’s first classified climb, around kilometre 80, that Rémy Rochas was able to join the good move.

The peloton an hour into stage eight. RCS photo

“It was the day we expected, even if we thought it would have gone a bit earlier,” explained Thierry Bricaud. “Rémy felt the right moment to go for it. Unfortunately, he used a lot of energy beforehand and suddenly felt empty when the pace accelerated on the long climb, halfway through the race.” The Frenchman was therefore unable to play his card for long, and was then caught by the bunch before reaching the summit of Sassotetto.

From then on, Groupama-FDJ gathered around David Gaudu in anticipation of the final, and the French leader managed to follow the favourites’ accelerations on the final climb of the day, seven kilometres from the finish. At the finish line, Luke Plapp took victory from the breakaway, while David Gaudu joined the peloton sprint to secure seventeenth place on the stage.

“We have no regrets, because even if we had been in front longer, it would have been difficult to win the stage,” Thierry summarized. “There will be other opportunities. The good news today is that David had a decent day and didn’t feel his hand too much. It’s a good sign going forward. Tomorrow will be an unusual day, and we will try to stay around him because he is still in the running for the general classification and that is still the most important thing.” To conclude this first big week of racing on the Giro, the peloton will head towards Siena on Sunday, for the “Strade Bianche” stage which will include nearly thirty kilometres of “gravel” roads.

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