Everyone’s thoughts are with Claudia Cretti from Valcar PBM, who is critically ill after a high-speed crash yesterday on stage 7. Forza, Claudia.

How stage 8 looks …

One blessing after a hard stage 7 and ahead of today’s tough stage … no overnight transfer. The riders kick things of in Baronissi, but this is another tough day, and only marginally shorter than yesterday making for a tough pairing of racing.

The first ten kilometers are largely downhill to Salerno, and then it’s a fast, flat 50-kilometer run south along the coast to Agropoli. Part two of the stage is the hardest, possibly the toughest of the whole race with a nasty unclassified lump before the TV sprint in Castelnuovo.

Then, a long, dragging second-category climb at Cuccaro Vetere which reaches 753 meters above sea-level with just 28 kilometers left. Then it’s a lumpy descent to the finish in Centola. It’s the change of rhythm from the high-speed start to the hilly conclusion that turns the legs to lead and makes this stage so potentially hazardous.

In theory, there are no real springboards ahead, so if the overall classification is up for grabs, then stage 8 is arguably the last chance to make a major gain.