Rouleur predicts... Giro Rosa stage 8

Everything to play for now as crash takes out race favourites in Maddaloni

Photos: Sean Hardy/Ceratizit-WNT Words: Ian Cleverly

Stage 8 Castelnuovo della Daunia - San Marco la Catola (91.5km)

Giro Rosa stage 8

Olivia Kaferly

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) The unpredictability of cycling is certainly one of the reasons we all love it so much. It also causes a lot of the pain we feel, like the race-altering crash we had on stage 7. Luckily everyone walked away from it, though perhaps not unscathed. Now a stage like today, that looked like it would have a pretty predictable winner, will turn into a much more open race. Judging by Kasia Niewiadoma’s performance on the climb and final descent on stage 7, she certainly has the skills and determination to make her own opportunities and take that stage win she has been so close to all race.

Ben Ward

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) It is obviously a real shame that reigning champion (of GC and QoM) Van Vleuten leaves the race as she has, but the silver lining - not for Annemiek - is the reintroduction of uncertainty as the peloton heads into the mountains. Unlike some others, Kasia Niewiadoma seems to be getting stronger as the race goes on and I’m hoping she claims a win that will dispel the conflicted feelings of how she has taken the leader’s jersey.

Andy McGrath

Mavi Garcia (Alé BTC Llubljana) As Europe experiences an Indian summer, so is this newly-minted Spanish champion. The 36-year-old very nearly won Strade Bianche with a long, lone breakaway, could we see another escape here? She likes tough topography and could benefit from circumspection from the race’s wannabe winners.

Hannah Walker

Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) Well, stage 7 was pretty hectic and we lost some big hitters. There’s going to be a huge shake up on general classification with riders now back in contention for the maglia rosa, after Annemiek unfortunately broke her wrist. With only two stages remaining AVDB has to take her opportunity to overhaul Kasia Niewiadoma and claw back the 15” gap.

If you think Hannah Walker is just swanning around having a lovely time in Italy, watch this. A frantic day at the Giro Rosa with Ceratizit-WNT