Before the start of the Giro, the GC riders had marked stage 8 as the first big one, but also the previous stages have already been very hectic. Today's 186 kilometres from Fiuggi to Campitello Matese have a summit finish after a climb of thirteen kilometres. With Jurgen Van den Broeck and Maxime Monfort Lotto Soudal has two riders in top twenty.

“It has been a special first week," Monfort said. "Most of the time there are mainly flat stages in the first week of a Grand Tour, but this week has already been tough. Our youngsters Stig Broeckx and Louis Vervaeke have suffered a lot, but that’s the case for the entire peloton.

"Today there are several possible scenarios. Riders who are far enough behind in GC might escape, while there is a second battle between the GC riders on the last climb. Another option is that Astana and Tinkoff-Saxo let a small group go, chase them and fight for the victory themselves.

"Wednesday after the first summit finish I was a bit disappointed, maybe I hadn’t fully recuperated after my attack of the day before. Yesterday, in the longest stage, I felt good, I hope to confirm that today.”