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Sunday, May 17, 2026

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Current racing

• May 8 - 31: Giro d'Italia
• May 17: Rund um Köln

Upcoming racing:

• May 19: Classique Dunkerque
• May 20 - 24: 4 Jours de Dunkerque

Latest completed racing:

• May 16: Tour du Finistère
• May 10: Tro-Bro Léon
• April 26 - May 3: Tour of Turkey
• April 28 - May 3: Tour de Romandie
• May 1: Eschborn-Frankfurt
• April 26: Giro dell'Appennino
• April 23 - 26: Vuelta Asturias
• April 26: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• April 20 - 24: Tour of the Alps
• April 22: La Flèche Wallonne
• April 19: Amstel Gold Race
• April 15 - 19: Tour of Hainan
• April 14 - 18: O Gran Camiño
• April 17: De Brabantse Pijl
• April 19: Tour du Doubs race cancelled
• April 12: Paris-Roubaix
• April 6 - 11: Itzulia Basque Country (Tour of the Basque Country)
• April 7 - 10: Région Pays de la Loire Tour

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Giro d'Italia stage eight reports

We posted the report from stage winner Jhonatan Narvaez's UAE Team Emirates-XRG with the results.

Here's the Giro d'Italia report from GC leader Afonso Eulalio's Team Bahrain Victorious:

Afonso Eulálio held onto the Maglia Rosa after stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia, completing another day in pink from Chieti to Fermo as Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) took the stage win.

Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) finished second, 32 seconds behind, with Martin Tjøtta (Uno-X Mobility) completing the podium.

Afonso Eulalio will start stage nine in pink. Sirotti photo

The 156km stage started with a flatter first part towards the Adriatic coast, before the race turned inland and became harder in the final kilometres around Fermo. The last part of the stage included short climbs, narrow roads, corners and several changes of rhythm, so it was important to stay well placed until the finish.

The stage was not easy to control, with many attacks during the day, especially on the flatter roads. A large breakaway eventually went clear before the final hilly section, but with no major GC danger in the move, the team focused on keeping the gap under control and protecting Eulálio in the peloton.

Those final climbs opened small gaps between the GC riders, so the stage was not only about the fight for the win. Eulálio finished the day limiting the time lost to Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease a Bike) and the other GC contenders, while keeping the Maglia Rosa ahead of another hard stage tomorrow.

In the last kilometres, Eulálio stayed close to the front with Damiano Caruso by his side. He also moved up in the final, showing confidence on a finish that suited him, while still keeping the main focus on defending the Maglia Rosa.

Afonso after the stage said:
“A day like today suits me well. I enjoy this kind of terrain, and the team did a perfect job again to protect the jersey. Damiano was there with me in the final, we checked the last kilometres well, and everything was under control.

:I moved a little in the final, but it was not really an attack. It was more to stay in front before the corners and avoid problems. The most important thing for us was to keep the Maglia Rosa and not lose too much time in a final like this. We did that, and the team was perfect again.

"Tomorrow will be another hard day, and the main goal is to survive again. When I see the whole team working like this, the riders, the staff, the directors, it gives me more confidence and more power. My teammates are probably suffering more than me because they are doing everything for me, and that is something special. Normally I am more used to working for others, so to see them working to protect me is crazy.

"First, we have to try to keep the jersey tomorrow. After that, the time trial will be very difficult for me. It is flat, with no corners and no climbs, so it is not the best course for me. We will see what happens after that and then decide if we continue fighting for GC, for stages, or what is best for the team.”

Franco Pellizotti, Sports Director, added:
“It was a hard stage to control because there were many attacks during the day, especially in the flatter part of the stage. Then, before the final hilly section, a big breakaway went clear. There were no big GC dangers in the move, although Scaroni was there, but the gap was always under control.

"The riders did an amazing job again today to manage the breakaway and protect the jersey. In the end, I think it was a perfect stage for Afonso. There were no long climbs, but many short efforts in the final, and he handled it very well.

"He also moved well in the final, maybe because he is enjoying the jersey and this kind of finish. But the important thing is that we are here with another day in the Maglia Rosa, and we are very happy. Tomorrow will be a new day.”

Eulálio remains in the Maglia Rosa and also keeps the white jersey, with another difficult stage coming tomorrow before the first rest day.

Here's the Giro news from Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a bike:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike came through the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia without any problems. Team leader Jonas Vingegaard gained two seconds on pink jersey wearer Afonso Eulálio in the finale. The stage victory went to Jhonatan Narváez.

Jonas Vingegaard and Afonso Eulalio on the stage eight start line. Sirotti photo

The eighth stage took the peloton from Chieti to Fermo over 156 kilometers. After a flat opening phase, the finale featured several punishing climbs. In the lightning-fast start, nobody managed to establish an early breakaway. The decisive move only formed with just under seventy kilometers remaining. 

Three riders managed to break clear of the peloton: Andreas Leknessund, Mikkel Bjerg, and Jhonatan Narváez. A large chasing group set off in pursuit of the trio but failed to close the gap. In the peloton, the riders of Team Visma | Lease a Bike controlled the pace in support of Jonas Vingegaard. Yesterday’s stage winner was also entitled to wear the blue mountains jersey today. 

In the demanding finale, where the steep climbs came in rapid succession, Narváez dropped his two fellow escapees. The Ecuadorian crossed the line solo in Fermo. Behind him, things remained relatively calm in the peloton. An acceleration by pink jersey holder Afonso Eulálio was immediately answered by Jonas Vingegaard, who gained two extra seconds and remains second overall. 

“We raced today exactly as we wanted to: staying out of trouble was the main objective”, Vingegaard said afterwards. “The pace was incredibly high, but I enjoyed it as well. My teammates worked hard all day to keep me in a safe position. Tomorrow brings a tough stage with a mountaintop finish. There are no easy stages in the Giro, and today proved that once again.”

Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this Giro report:

The Giro d’Italia scheduled the traditional “tappa dei muri” on Saturday, when the peloton embarked on a 156km stage from Chieti to Fermo peppered by short and punchy climbs to the delight of the breakaway men, who knew this was going to be one of their biggest chances to shine at this edition.

All of the day’s four classified climbs came in the final 55 kilometers, and this made for an incredibly nervous opening hour, with countless attacks and attempts to form a leading group. Three riders went clear at one point, while behind a large number featuring Soudal Quick-Step’s Gianmarco Garofoli, Fabio Van den Bossche and Filippo Zana, also snapped the elastic and set out in pursuit of the trio. Surprisingly, despite the group having the numbers on their side, the small breakaway managed to stay clear and Jhonatan Narvaez (UEA Team Emirates) took the win in the town of Fermo, which returned at the Giro for the first time in more than half a century.

Stage eight gets its official start.

Our squad’s first rider home was Gianmarco Garofoli, who arrived one minute behind the winner, not far from the top ten, while 22-year-old Paul Magnier kept his ciclamino jersey. Sunday will see the GC favourites battle on the slopes of Corno alle Scale, the second summit finish of the race and the last stage before the second rest day of the Giro d’Italia.

And here's the Giro stage eight report from Team Netcompany INEOS:

Thymen Arensman and Egan Bernal retained their overall positions after a high octane eighth stage of the Giro d’Italia.

The pair sprinted to the line as part of a GC group on a hilly finale into Fermo, which saw them stay ninth and 15th overall as Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates) earned the stage win from the breakaway.

Filippo Ganna, Magnus Sheffield and Ben Turner were all active in trying to escape the bunch, but were unsuccessful in the fastest stage of this year’s race as Narváez took the solo win from a small group.

The race rolls through an Italian town. Sirotti photo

Ganna made the first move of the stage, attacking with Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana) to gain a small advantage. The duo held their lead despite a high speed chase behind, with riders attempting to join them throughout a frenetic opening to the stage.

Sheffield then attempted on numerous occasions to bridge the gap, but he was caught, deemed too much of a threat by the chasing bunch if he could link up with Ganna.

The battle to establish a breakaway continued for almost 80 kilometres, when Narváez made a decisive move with teammate Mikkel Bjerg and Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility).

Turner was then part of a large counter-attack once the hilly final part of the stage began, but this group failed to coordinate a successful pursuit of the leaders.

The peloton behind had then thinned to a large GC group, with Bernal and Arensman finishing with their near rivals in Fermo.