Flat, hilly, tortuous: Giro Stage 8 had it all and the pace was fast and furious throughout. The route demanded patience and power and the winner delivered with Gorka Izagirre picking his moment to take his first Grand Tour stage win. Mikel Landa launched an attack near the end, threatening the lead of Bob Jungels, but a diligent QuickStep team helped the Luxembourg rider retain the pink. Astana’s Luis León Sánchez offered his tribute to his late teammate Michele Scarponi by soloing on a long breakaway and just missing out on the win.
