Giro d'Italia 2021 Giro d'Italia, Stage 8: Foggia – Guardia Sanframondi 170 km

[Netserk]

Stage 8: Foggia – Guardia Sanframondi 170 km

Saturday, May 15th, 12.40 CEST

Technical Overview:

A transitional stage in the southern Appennines. From the city of Foggia, the peloton will cross the mountains east to west. The first climb of the day is uncategorized (4.5km at 5.4%), and it comes after 30 km of flat roads. The route then goes through about 60 km of rolling terrain, including the first intermediate sprint to Campobasso, that is on quite a sizable slope of 4 km at 5%. This terrain ends at 70 km to go, where the road starts pointing up to the first categorized climb of the day: Bocca della Selva (GPM2, 18.9 km at 4.6%), a very gentle but long climb. It tops at 50 km to go, and its descent, much more interesting than the climb, is 18 km long, ending at 32 km to go. Here the peloton will find 21 km of descending false flat until 11 km to go, where the road starts ascending again slightly until the second intermediate sprint of Castelvenere, where the false flat starts rising steadily until the beginning of the final climb, at 3 km to go. Guardia Sanframondi (GPM4, 3 km at 6.9%) does include decent ramps, and features 2.5 km at 7.6% before the final flattish 500m.



Final Kilometers

The Climbs:

Bocca della Selva: GPM2, 18.9 km at 4.6%

A long climb with some good gradients only in the second half.

Guardia Sanframondi: GPM4, 3 km at 6.9%

Quite an interesting uphill finish. See the final kilometers for a profile.



What to expect:

This has breakaway written all over it. The GC guys could try to gain a few seconds on each other in the uphill finish, it is hard enough to see something.

Guardia Sanframondi

 

[Bonimenier]

Missing a poll and the quote of Eshnar

 

[Lui98]

This stage starts from my hometown. I will be at the start for sure

 

[SafeBet]

Missing a poll and the quote of Eshnar

I think it's much better without the quote.
Everybody knows it's Eshnar's work anyway.

It will be interesting to see if any team tries something on the long descent.

 

[Gigs_98]

This stage is basically a copy of todays just without the first 10 km of the final climb where nothing happened anyway.

Maybe a gc contender will attack on the final km, maybe there will be some downhill shenanigans. The most likely outcome seems to be another win for the break though.

 

[Netserk]

Huge break and very difficult descent. Will QS mark the Ineos riders that will infiltrate the BotD?

Oh, and one last thing: Let it rain! (doesn't look likely, only a bit in the morning)

 

[Bonimenier]

Huge break and very difficult descent. Will QS mark the Ineos riders that will infiltrate the BotD?

Oh, and one last thing: Let it rain!

So we'll miss 50% of the broadcast again?

 

[Poursuivant]

Breakaway FC

 

[BlueRoads]

This stage starts from my hometown. I will be at the start for sure

Please hold up a poster: "Greetings to the cyclingnews-forum"

 

[Red Rick]

This stage is basically a copy of todays just without the first 10 km of the final climb where nothing happened anyway.

Maybe a gc contender will attack on the final km, maybe there will be some downhill shenanigans. The most likely outcome seems to be another win for the break though.

Nah Bocca Della Selva is wayyy easier than what they had today, and the initial 10km of a climb are good to soften the legs anyway.

Breakaway very likely, sadly the final climb is bottom heavy which for an uphill finish of this kind shouldn't bode well.

 

[Escarabajo]

Nothing will happen here. Big group of GC guys arriving together or trying to outsprint each other.

 

[titan31]

Ya, I'd be going break and uphill sprint of GC guys here. Maybe if something happens on the descent before it but that finishing climb isn't long or hard enough to cause a split imo

 

[ice&fire]

Afer having seen today that Remco sprint is Landa level, will Ineos will try to control for Bernal to take free bonus seconds at the finish?

 

[Red Rick]

Afer having seen today that Remco sprint is Landa level, will Ineos will try to control for Bernal to take free bonus seconds at the finish?

Doubtful cause the break is probably gonna be pretty big.

 

[Bonimenier]

Afer having seen today that Remco sprint is Landa level, will Ineos will try to control for Bernal to take free bonus seconds at the finish?

In the end he will need more time than just bonus seconds to hold off Evenepoel in the TT. But on this stage I doubt a lot will happen for GC. Probably some seconds gain here and there.

 

[spalco]

Huge break and very difficult descent. Will QS mark the Ineos riders that will infiltrate the BotD?

Oh, and one last thing: Let it rain! (doesn't look likely, only a bit in the morning)

If I was QS, I'd do everything I can to get the best, biggest break on the road as possible.

If there's still bonus seconds on the line it's very possible Bernal could overtake Evenepoel on GC. Might not matter in the end for one reason or another, but I would expect Remco to want to wear the jersey eventually, and that could complicate it.

 

[Panda Claws]

I wonder if Bernal will even try to distance Evenepoel here if there are no bonus seconds to be gained. Unless Evenepoel is obviously struggling that seems like a potential waste of energy. Best to keep it all in the tank for sunday.

Therefore, in that scenario, I expect someone like Yates or D. Martin to attack on the last climb and get like 5-10 seconds on Bernal and Evenepoel.

 

[Lequack]

Why would Bernal attack Remco when it will be Remco who will attack?

 

[Escarabajo]

After what we saw on Thursday, I doubt anything will happen on this stage relating the GC contenders.

 

[Pinot's goat]

In the end he will need more time than just bonus seconds to hold off Evenepoel in the TT. But on this stage I doubt a lot will happen for GC. Probably some seconds gain here and there.

There are 5 huge GC days to come before the ITT where there is the chance to gain/lose minutes, there is no need to do anything tomorrow.

 

[Laplaz]

Bettiol from the break.

 

[Frankschleck]

Tratnik, Bettoil, Guerriero, Mohoric, Gallopin, Visconti, Covi, Brambilla, Roche, Bouwmann, Tetafision

potential break candidates

 

[Gigs_98]

Kinda disappointed De Gendt hasn't been in any breakaways yet. Kinda hoping that will happen tomorrow. The stage should suit him well enough.

 

[johnymax]

Bahrain should be very active again. I expect Mohorič in the break. Maybe Bilbao can join too. He already lost some time. Hopefully he'll ride aggressively from now on, like he's been riding for the last couple of years.

 

[Keram]

Sagan should jump in the break imho.