Australian Luke Plapp broke away on a 45-kilometer solo attack to win a hilly Stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia 2025 on Saturday, as veteran Italian all-rounder Diego Ulissi grabbed the overall lead.

A series of attacks ensued early in the hilly stage, with the main contenders allowing the escape to make it far enough ahead of them for Plapp to climb the podium as winner and, to the delight of the crowds, drink a considerable amount of the fizzy wine he sprayed over them.

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The 24-year-old Jayco-Alula rider from Melbourne shook his head in disbelief at the finish after his first major win following an impressive solo effort in the picture-postcard hills.

But just 38 seconds behind Plapp, third-placed Ulissi gazed at the clock in a nail-biting wait for overnight leader Primoz Roglic to cross the line.

Ulissi had been 4 minutes, 1 second down at the start, and the main contenders for the title were just a handful of seconds outside that limit, meaning he couldn't celebrate until he knew they had missed the time cut.

"I was going for the stage win, I hadn't thought about the race lead until the fans started to shout about the pink jersey along the road," Ulissi said.

Ulissi now leads Roglic by 17 seconds in the overall classification and will ride out in pink Sunday, giving home crowds something to cheer about.

It had been 86 stages since an Italian led the race -- Alessandro De Marchi was the last to wear pink just over four years ago.

There were four categorized climbs between the coastal town of Giulianova, along a rugged 197-kilometer route through the Abruzzo region, to the Castelraimondo finish -- halfway up the Italian peninsula.

When the contenders for the overall Giro win did come into the home straight, Friday's stage winner Juan Ayuso attacked and finished just one second ahead of Roglic, but once again used up a great deal of energy to do so with 13 long stages remaining.

The likeable Dane Mads Pedersen won three stages and was the star of the race's early going, and the Lidl-Trek powerhouse leads the sprint points standings.

Sunday's stage will run over the white gravel roads of the sparkling wine vineyards outside Siena.

Giro d’Italia Stage 8 Results – Top 25

1. Lucas Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla) – 4:44:20 (B16)
2. Wilco Kelderman (Team Visma - Lease a Bike) – 4:44:58 (B6)
3. Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana Team) – 4:44:58 (B6)
4. Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 4:45:42 (B4)
5. Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) – 4:45:55
6. Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) – 4:46:08
7. Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana Team) – 4:46:08
8. Georg Steinhauser (EF Education - EasyPost) – 4:47:19
9. Romain Bardet (Team Picnic PostNL) – 4:47:22
10. Alessio Martinelli (VF Group Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè) – 4:48:57
11. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 4:49:10
12. Primož Roglič (Red Bull - BORA - Hansgrohe) – 4:49:10
13. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 4:49:10
14. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) – 4:49:10
15. Embret Svestad-Bårdseng (Arkea-B&B Hotels) – 4:49:10
16. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) – 4:49:10
17. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) – 4:49:10
18. Derek Gee (Israel - Premier Tech) – 4:49:10
19. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull - BORA - Hansgrohe) – 4:49:10
20. Luca Covili (VF Group Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè) – 4:49:10
21. Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) – 4:49:10
22. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) – 4:49:10
23. Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost) – 4:49:10
24. Simon Yates (Team Visma - Lease a Bike) – 4:49:10
25. Sergio Samitier (Cofidis) – 4:49:10

Giro d’Italia Overall Standings – Top 25 After Stage 8

1. Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana Team) – 29:21:23
2. Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana Team) – 29:21:35
3. Primož Roglič (Red Bull - BORA - Hansgrohe) – 29:21:40
4. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 29:21:43
5. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 29:21:49
6. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) – 29:22:07
7. Max Poole (Team Picnic PostNL) – 29:22:10
8. Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – 29:22:13
9. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 29:22:14
10. Simon Yates (Team Visma - Lease a Bike) – 29:22:19
11. Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost) – 29:22:19
12. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) – 29:22:21
13. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull - BORA - Hansgrohe) – 29:22:23
14. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) – 29:22:24
15. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) – 29:22:26
16. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 29:22:28
17. Christopher Harper (Team Jayco AlUla) – 29:22:43
18. Einer Rubio (Movistar Team) – 29:22:44
19. Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – 29:22:5
20.  Davide Piganzoli (Team Polti VisitMalta) – 29:22:56
21. Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) – 29:22:5
22.  Derek Gee (Israel - Premier Tech) – 29:23:14
23. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) – 29:23:23
24. Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) – 29:23:48
25. Rafal Majka (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 29:24:14

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