“The seventh and eighth stage finishes will be nervous.” Mikel Landa already warned AS days ago of what the stages prior to the transcendental final in the Blockhaus this Sunday could bring, and surely he will be right. This Saturday, the Italy spin will live one of its classic finals in Naples, a territory that in its last arrivals has been the territory of sprinters with names like those of Francesco Moser, Mario Cipollini or Mark Cavendish (last winner in 2013).
This time, things look quite different. And it is that the short and nervous route, of 153 km and 2,130 m of unevenness, that makes up the stage is not the most suitable for pure sprinters. Runners must complete four laps of a 19 km circuit in the outskirts of Naples that consists of numerous slopes. Monte di Procida (the only point scoring, 4th category) and Lake Lucrino (maximum ramps of 14%) are emerging as the most selective, although the latter is crowned 30 km from the finish.
Giro d’Italia 2022: stage 8 profile.
AS Journal
The range of possibilities to solve the stage is wide. With the pure sprinters offside and the fearsome finish at Blockhaus the next day, no moves are expected from the GC men, so the chance of a breakaway taking the victory in Naples is quite big. In case the arrival is from a small group, men like Van der Poel and Girmay They would be the top favorites for victory.