Giro d’Italia 2026, Stage 8: route, favourites and where to watch it on TV

Could the Marche walls stage possibly be missing? Of course not. Enter the 156 km Chieti–Fermo stage, packed with relentless leg-breaking climbs and descents in the finale, very much in classic Tirreno Adriatico fashion. Coming the day after the brutal Blockhaus stage, the peloton may be more willing to let a breakaway go, so expect a fierce battle from the flag drop. And perhaps, in the finale, even a few skirmishes among the GC contenders – with Giulio Pellizzari likely fuelled by the support of his home crowd.

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The Route

A mixed stage awaits: the opening section along the Adriatic coast is flat and raced on wide roads, before the route ignites in the hills around Fermo, with a relentless sequence of climbs, descents and punishing “walls”. After Cupra Marittima, the race heads inland to tackle the first KOM at Montefiore dell’Aso (Category 3, 9.9 km at 3.3%), followed by Monterubbiano (Category 4, 4.7 km at 5.7%).

The peloton then reaches Fermo for the first time, where riders face the brutal Ferro wall on Via Cardarelli (540 metres at 11.1%), with the Red Bull KM placed at the summit, before descending and heading towards Capodarco (Category 4, 3.7 km at 5.8%). Soon after comes the vicious Via Reputolo wall (1.3 km at 14.3%), followed immediately by the gentler final 3 km ascent back into Fermo (Category 4).

The Favourites

On paper, this stage favours breakaways, so expect an extremely fast opening hour as riders fight to get up the road. Much will depend on who and how many riders make the move, as that will determine just how realistic the attackers’ chances are. We are also in the home region of Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), so it will be fascinating to see whether his team tries to keep the race under control to give him a shot in the finale. If that happens, keep an eye, naturally, on Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and the other GC contenders — especially Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), who starts from his home city of Chieti.

After losing some time on Blockhaus, riders such as Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché) could find more freedom to attack, along with proven aggressors like Guillermo Thomas Silva and Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana), Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Javier Romo (Movistar), Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step) and Alessandro Pinarello (NSN).

Predict the winner with our ‘stage winner Predictor’. CLICK HERE, head to the FanZone and earn one entry into the final prize draw of the Join the FanZone Challenge for every vote you cast. (Voting is open from 20:00 the day before the stage until 10:00 on race day)

Giro d’Italia 2026, Stage 8: Schedule and TV coverage

Chieti – Fermo, 156 km
LIVE coverage begins: 11:45 a.m.
Start: 1:15 p.m.
KM 0: 1:35 p.m.
Expected finish: around 5:05 p.m.

TV: As usual, RAI will provide free-to-air coverage of every stage of the Giro d’Italia for viewers in Italy. The day begins with “Giro Mattina” on Rai Sport HD, featuring rider presentations and pre-race interviews, followed by “Prima Diretta” on the same channel to cover the start of the stage until 14:00. For the key moments of the race, coverage moves to Rai 2, with “Giro in Diretta” until 16:15, followed immediately by “Giro all’Arrivo”, taking viewers through the decisive phases of the stage right to the finish line. Straight after comes the traditional post-stage analysis show, “Il Processo alla Tappa”, usually lasting around 45 minutes without the need to switch channels. The day concludes on Rai Sport HD with “TGiro” at 20:00, featuring interviews, highlights and commentary, while the most dedicated fans can relive every key moment with “Ri-Giro” at 00:00. The race will also be broadcast live in full on Eurosport, as well as on streaming platforms Discovery+ and HBO Max.

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