Hello and welcome to our♒ live coverage of stage 8 of the Giro d🙈'Italia, a hilly race around Naples.

We're off and running for what will be an intense and nervous stage 8 of the Giro. After a short𒊎 neutral zone of 2.4km, we're already seeing some attacks off the front. 

It's already going at an extremely difficult pace on this lumpy and technical circuit. The route offers no let up from start to fiﷺnish. 

Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC) is making it hard from the start and trying to fo🎃rce a breakaway. A surprise? No, he's targeted this stage and said he wants to win it however he can. He must sense the winner will come out of a breakaway today. 

Van Der Poel had something going for a bit, but the pace has lulled after the pelot�🐷�on brought the breakaway back. 

143km to go - Mathieu Van Der Poel goes solo

It's been a rapid start in Na🌄ples. Vജan Der Poel is still off the front by 10 seconds and he's being chased by Thomas De Gendt (LTS), Andrea Vendrame (ACT) and Biniam Girmay (IWG). The peloton is at 55 seconds. 

The breakaway is growing with about 21 rid♎ers bridging 🤡the gap to Van Der Poel. Names to follow. 

Here are the names of ꩲthe 21 riders in the breakaway. 

Guillaume Martin (COF)

Diego Ulissi (UAD)

Sylvain Moniquet (LTS)

Harold Tejada (AST)

Davide Gabburo (BCF)

Jorge Arcas (MOV)

Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (TFS)

Edoardo Zardini (DRA)

Lilian Calmejane (ACT)

Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC)

Fabio Felline (AST)

Thomas De Gendt (LTS)

Wout Poels (TBV)

Andrea Vendrame (ACT)

Simone Ravanelli (DRA)

Mirco Maestri (EOK)

Jasha Sütterlin (TBV)

Mauro Schmid (QST)

Biniam Girmay (IWG)

Samuele Rivi (EOK)

Harm Vanhoucke (LTS)  Peloton is at 1'40"

Thomas De Gendt attacked off the front of the breakaway to try and break things up in the front group, but his acceleration was unsuccessful. T🌄here are still 21 riders in the break. 

With the gap holding at 1'40", Trek Segafredo aren't🤪 happy with this composition. They have their entire team chasing at the front of the peloton. 

125km to go - 21 riders off the front

Have a read of today's stage preview by Barry Ryan. Today is a unique day at the Giro, it's basically a min🦩i-classic through the streets⛦ of Naples. 

The gap to the 21 riders is growing - it's 2 minutes now with 120km to go. Ma𒊎ny of the potential stage favourites are in this break. 

Edward Theuns (Trek - Segafredo) is pulꦡling through with his teammates - this could have been a stage that suited him, but it looks like he'll have bigger fish to fry later. We're ge♏tting close to the first intermediate sprint point. 

The breℱakaway is less than 1km to the first intermediate sprint. 

We're reached the intermediate sprint at Lago Patria, Girmay rolls through first with not 🌃much pressure 𝓰and adds 12 points to the ciclamino standings. 

Results of the f൩irst intermediate sprint at Lago Patria (37.4km):

1. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché - Wanty - 🅠Gobert 🌞Matériaux) 

2. Edoardo Zaඣrdini (Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli) 

3. Mauro ♐Schmid (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) 

4. Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) 

5. Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto Soudal) 

6. Mirco Maestri (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team) 

7. Simon🌌e Ravanelli (Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli) 

8. Samuele Rivi (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team) 

The time checꦏk at the first TV point was 2'22" - 112km to go. 

Jacopo Mosca (Trek - Segafredo) is doing a lot of work to keep this breakaway at two minutes. It's g♐oing to be a hard day for Trek, and they're likely hoping other teams will🔴 eventually help share the load. 

Trek is doing 🌱a good job of keeping the breakaway close. They've chopped off 20 seconds from the breakaway's lead with 108km to go. It feels like the escapees have backed off just slightly. 

Bahra🥂in Victorious has moved up alongside Trek Segafredo, so has Bora-hansgrohe. 

Here's the average speed after the first hour of racing - a fairly high 47𝐆.1kph. Mayꦡbe about 5kph faster than we have seen in previous stages. 

100km to go - Break of 21 holding a 2 minute gap

Jacopo Guarnieri (Groupa𝔉ma - FDJ) has a puncture 100km from the finish. It's moving a quick pace today, but he should have no problem catching back on at this point of the stage. 

Team BikeExchange - Jayco has taken over the front of the p💖eloton. 

Vaꦰn Der Poel is definitely one of the main drivꦅers in this breakaway. The gap is hovering at 2'15".  

Very shortly, the front group will get their first glimpse of the climb at Monte d🐬i Procida. They'll scale it three times before it becomes a classified climb (on the fourth passage) and offers GPM points. 

Fernando Gaviria and Max Richeze, two of the fastest men on UAE Team Emirates are helping Jo꧂ão Almeida get back into the🦋 bunch after a puncture. 

The break has su🍸mmited the climb for the first time. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) led them over theꦅ top.

Jasha Sütterlin (Bahrain Victorious) has sat up out of the breakawa🔜y, collected a load of bidons from the car and is soft pedalling back to the bunch. 

Jasha Sütterlin♍ drops out of the bre🍰ak - 88km to go

With 85km to go, the gap is holding at 2 minutes

Here's a reminder of the riders in the breakaway: Guillaume Martin (COF), Diego Ulissi (UAD), Sylvain Moniquet (LTS), Harold Tejada (AST), Davide Gabburo (BCF), Jorge Arcas (MOV), Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (TFS), Ed💛oardo Zarౠdini (DRA), Lilian Calmejane (ACT), Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC), Fabio Felline (AST), Thomas De Gendt (LTS), Wout Poels (TBV), Andrea Vendrame (ACT), Simone Ravanelli (DRA), Mirco Maestri (EOK), Mauro Schmid (QST), Biniam Girmay (IWG), Samuele Rivi (EOK) and Harm Vanhoucke (LTS).

Gap at 2'20"

We're almost at♕ the halfway mark of thi🌼s stage. 

One team that's been pretty quiet so far in the stage is Ineos. Check out this article by 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Alasdair Fotheringham about the team's strategy: Ineos Grenadiers play🤪ing long game at Giro despite second show of strength

Jumbo Visma's Koen Bou𓆉wman won an exciting stage yesterday. Here's what he had to say about💦 his first grand tour win:

"Unbelievable," his said via team re🅰lease. "Thi♚s was the first real chance for me after our classification riders collapsed on Etna. I had perfect legs today and was able to sprint for the mountain points every time. Although I had one bad moment on the climb, I could return to the group at my own pace. After the descent, I felt good again."

The gap to the 🌳breakaway is gradually ticking up to 2'40" at the moment. They're getting close to the base of Monte de Procida again for the second time. 

Here's a look at the map version of today's stage. 🍷Tꦉhe race skirts the coast of Naples quite a bit before heading inland to the hills. 

It's a great day for 𒉰a bike race in Naples! The temperature is a pleasant 22 degrees Celsius under sunny skies. 

In the second hour of racing, the average speed has decreased sliꦏghtly to 43.9kph. 

Wilco Kelderman (Bora - Hansgrohe) is up near the front leading the peloton,🌳 and meanwhile, Riders are 💫starting to get dropped out of the peloton, including Mark Cavendish (Quickstep Alpha Vinyl).

But Cav has made it back in the bunch! There's 60km to go with a gap of 3 miಌnutes. 

For the first time, we're seeing the breakaway's advantage creep up to the thr🦩ee minute mark. 

They're onto Monꩵte de Procidaꩵ for the penultimate time. The next time through they'll have KOM points available. 

Now the pelotꦅon is climbing up the penultimate🐷 climb and we can see Caleb Ewan hanging on with Cavendish.

50km to go - gap to leaders steady at 2'23

An aꦫttack from Mathieu🅷 Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)! 

Mathieu Van Der Poel on the attack - 45km to go

Some riders have joined up with Van Der Poel: Guillaume Martin (COF📖𓄧), Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (TFS), Wout Poels (TBV), Mauro Schmid (QST) and Biniam Girmay (IWG).

More riders are bridging across to the leaders, just༒ a few have been dropped after that attack from Mathieu Van🌊 Der Poel.

The attacks are still coming out of the front group and new leaders are forming: Davide Gabbuไro (BCF), Jorge Arcas (MOV)🐻, Thomas De Gendt (LTS), Simone Ravanelli (DRA) and Harm Vanhoucke (LTS).

40km to go - the breakaway is splitting

Jus🎃t one of the incredible views here in Napoli. 

Th💖e five leaders are less than 3km to the second intermediate sprint in🌱 Bacoli.

Meanwhile, the gap to the peloton has grown to 3'35 with 37km to go. We're officially at ༺the bu🏅siness end of today's stage. 

Results of ꦜthe second intermedia🔯te sprint at Bacoli (115.7km):

1. Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto Soudal) 

2. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) 

3. Davide Gabburo (Bardiani CSF Faiz📖anè)&nbs𒀰p;

4. Jorge Arcas (Movistar Team) 

5. Simone Ravanelli (Drone Hꦰopper - Androni Giocattoli) 

35km to go - Ravanelli dropped from break

So we have Davide Gabburo (BCF), Jorge Arcas (MOV), Thomas De Gendt (LTS) and Harm Vanhoucke (LTS) drivinꦇg the break. They have 22 seconds on their chasers. 

The leaders are cresting the Cat. 4 Monte 🎶di Pr🐼ocida. 

Results of the KOM at Monte di Procida (Cat. 4):

1. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) - 3pts

2. Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto Soudal) - 2pts

3. Jorge Arcas (Movistar Team) - 1pt

30km to go - leaders have 20 secondsও on chas𒐪e group

The same four riders are leading the rac𒆙e:  Gabburo, Arcas, De Gendt and Vanhoucke. The gap is growing to 40 seconds. 

Bu🌞t the chasers have cut the gap down to 20 seconds with 25km to go.

Guillaume Martin (COF), Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC), Wout Poels (TBV), Mauro Schmid (QST) and Biniam Girmay (IWG) are chasiꦬng hard, but the gap isn't c♌oming down. It's sitting at 30 seconds.

20km to go - Four leaders at 35 seconds

Samuele Rivi (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team) has 𝄹been caught by the bun﷽ch. 

Trek Segafredo has moved back to the front of the b🍰unch, which is more than four minutes behind the leaders with 16km to go. 

15km to go - Gabburo, Arcas, De Gendt, Vanhouck♒e lead at 35 seconds

The gap is not budging. I🔯t's stuck at 40 seconds to the first chase group. The peloton is a further 3'5🍸5" back.

10km to go

The leaders are starting to look at each other with less than 10km to go. They don't have much time tꦏo play with, just 30 seconds now. 

Kämna has attacked out of the bunch, but the maglia rosa w𝄹as ⛦quickly on his back wheel.

The break is losing som🌞e time to the first chase group, Martin (COF), Van Der Poel (AFC), Poels (TBV), Schmid (QST) and Girmay (IWG). The gap is just 15 seconds with 6km to go.

5km to go - break at 15 seconds

The chasers are closing in on the quartetꦏ with less than 3km left in the race.&nbꦛsp;

And t🔥hose chasers are Mathieu Van Der Poel (AFC) and Biniam Girmay (IWG). The g🧔ap is 10 seconds with 2km to go!

T♒he two chasers haven't caught the leaders, but are just metres behind. 

Lo๊ts of shoe tightening. De Gendt's ⛄teammate, Harm Vanhoucke goes to the front to lead it out. 

And it's a win for Thomas De💫 Gendt (Lotto Soudal)! Davide Gabburo (BCF) is second. 

Well done to Thomas De Gendt! Wღinne🐻r of stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia. 

⛦Here's what De Gendt had to say after the stage...

"Today was one of those days that suits me. It looks a little bit likeꦦ the Barcelona stage in Volta a Catalunya - always up and down. It's hard to recಌover. It's also hard to close the gap.

“But 10 years after the Stelvio stage, ♏I finally won a stage in the Giro again. If you would have asked me two weeks ago, if I was able to win a stage in the Giro I would have said no because I was in such bad Shape. But now the good legs are coming.”

De Gendt celebrates on the podium as 🧜his teamm🐽ates watch on

Trek-Segafredo's Juan𓆏 Pedro López continues for another day in the maglia rosa after fending off a late attack from second-placed Lennard Kä𒅌mna

Biniam G🦋irmay was frustrated that he and Mathieu van der Poel were marked so heavily but accepted the reality of the race...

"I try all my best since the start and then in the finish but it's the race. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you ಞwin. Today I'm really happy with my performance. I did my best and had everything good.

"We played together really well. But everybody was looking at 🤡me and Mathieu so it was impossible to move all the time by ourselves so today it's like this."

Check out our report on the action-packed stage 8 with full results and photo gallery here

Meanwhile, here's a look back at that final ✅kilometre and the battle for victory.

We'll have more news and reaction coming in from stage 8 via our men on the gr൲ound Barry Ryan and Alasdair Fotheringham, so stay tun♋ed for that.

In the overall standings, there's one major change as Guillaume Martin leaps up to fourth overall! The Frenchꦡman trailed in 33 seconds today but still finished three minutes up on th🤪e peloton.

He now jumps up 24 places to fourth ov꧂erall, 1:06 down on race leader L&oacu꧋te;pez.

Here's our news piece from Romain Bardet 🍌ahead of tomorrow's summit finish at Blockhaus...

Romain Bardet: Nowhere to hide when Giro d’Italia hits Blockhaus

“Friday’s stage created a lot of fatigue. It’s true that we thought there would be more attacks in the finale but when it’s not a summit finish, it’s difficult to make the difference, especially in the first week when the level is so even,” Ba🎃rdet said in Naples. “You need the fatigue to build up before we see more attacks and more gaps.”

One major change in the GC🦩 standings as Guillaume Martin moves up to fourth overall.

Giro d'Italia: GC standings after stage 8

Simon Yates confirms knee injury from stage 4 crash in Giro d’Italia

Briꦛton upbeat about Sunday’s crunch stage despite inj⛦ury

Van der Poel our Giro d'Italia rider of the day despite missing victory

Dutchman showed his strength in꧅ establishing the break and provoking the winning move in Naples

We'll have more news a🍌nd reaction coming in, including from João Almeida ahead of tomorrow's stage to Blockhaus. We'll also have a preview of the stage, the second summit f𒆙inish of the race.