Stage 8

The road

How it was won

1. 1106 km to go

   The long climb settles the day

   Over the Forca d'Acero the shape of the stage is set: nine riders clear, seven minutes in hand, and a peloton content to let a mountain finish decide the rest.

2. 237 km to go

   Two seconds worth having

   The bunch splits and the maglia rosa is caught in the second group — until Contador and his men drag themselves back to the very front, where he sprints for two bonus seconds and doubles his lead over Aru to four.

3. 312 km to go

   The break turns on itself

   Onto the first real ramps of Campitello Matese with less than four minutes left, Betancur accelerates. Kruijswijk closes him down and counters, and for a few kilometres the Dutchman looks like the winner.

4. 45 km to go

   Aru inside five kilometres

   Astana have been drilling it for thirty kilometres and Aru finally jumps at the five-kilometre banner. Cunego, the 2004 winner, rolls back the years with a dig inside two, and Contador answers everything with a strapped shoulder.

5. 5At the line

   Intxausti comes to life

   Reichenbach has done all the work and looks the stronger, then three kilometres from the summit Beñat Intxausti simply sprints away from him and is never caught.

The result