Stage eight of the Giro d’Italia was won by Gorka Izagirre who safely navigated the tricky final kilometre of the race that finished in Peschici, Italy, today.
Izagirre (Movistar) emerged from the four man breakaway consisting of Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain-Merida), Luis León Sanchez (Astana Pro Team) and Valerio Conti (UAE Team Emirates) to win in a time of 4:24:59.
A crash involving Conti left the other three to battle it out but neither Visconti nor Sanchez could maintain the pace and they finished second and third respectively.
Bob Jungels retained the maglia rose after the eighth stage of Giro d’Italia. Photo: Gian Mattia D’Alberto
“When Conti crashed just in front of me I was a bit hesitant, because there was still around one kilometer remaining,” said Izagirre.
“However, I looked back, saw that there was a split in our group, and I chose to go on full steam until the very end.
“It was really a long ascent with that action, but I’m just incredibly happy that I got this,” he said.
“This victory means a lot to me, it’s the biggest I’ve ever achieved.
“I’ve spent so many years chasing a Grand Tour stage success, so many times into breakaways, many close calls, and reaching it in such a Giro stage – this is amazing,” said the Spaniard.
There was little change in the general classification after the eighth stage as Bob Jungels continued to retain the maglia rose.
He finished tenth after he crashed into the wheel of a teammate around the 32km mark.
Top ten results
| Rider | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Gorka Izagirre - Movistar Team | 4:24:59 |
| 2. | Giovanni Visconti - Bahrain-Merida | +05 |
| 3. | Luis León Sanchez - Astana Pro Team | +10 |
| 4. | Enrico Battaglin - Team LottoNl-Jumbo | +12 |
| 5. | Michael Woods - Cannondale-Drapac | " |
| 6. | Thibaut Pinot - FDJ | " |
| 7. | Vincenzo Nibali -Bahrain-Merida | " |
| 8. | Adam Yates - Orica-Scott | " |
| 9. | Steven Kruijswijk - Team LottoNl-Jumbo | " |
| 10. | Bob Jungels - Quick-Step Floors | " |
General classification
| Rider | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bob Jungels - Quick-Step Floors | 38:21:18 |
| 2. | Geraint Thomas - Team Sky | +06 |
| 3. | Adam Yates - Orica-Scott | +10 |
| 4. | Vincenzo Nibali - Bahrain-Merida | " |
| 5. | Domenico Pozzovivo - AG2R La Mondiale | " |
| 6. | Tom Dumoulin - Team Sunweb | " |
| 7. | Nairo Quintana - Movistar Team | " |
| 8. | Bauke Mollema - Trek-Segafredo | " |
| 9. | Andrey Amador - Movistar Team | " |
| 10. | Thibaut Pinot - FDJ | " |
