His performance in the time trial up to Perugia was all the more impressive in that he beat TT supremo Filippo Ganna, who had led the standings for much of the day.
Ominously for the rest of the maglia rosa contenders, Pogacar is back to his favourite terrain on Saturday, as the race heads for its first summit finish at Prati di Tivo.
Can he forge more of a gap at the top of the standings, or can someone stop his charge?
Britain’s Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) will be among those hoping to do so after shipping time on Stage 7.
Read on for details of the stage profile, how to watch and TV times…
How can I watch Stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia?
The UK coverage will be bookended by The Breakaway, presented by Orla Chennaoui, who has a string of esteemed guests joining her across the three weeks. Usual suspects Dan Lloyd, Adam Blythe and 12-time stage winner Robbie McEwen will return, with former Jumbo-Visma star Nathan van Hooydonck swooping in for the final week as Blythe resumes his duties on the motorbike in Italy.
And fans of Jonathan Vaughters are in for a treat on Stages 8 and 9, with the outspoken EF Education–EasyPost supremo joining our coverage.
Meanwhile, the charismatic Jens Voigt (Stages 1-9), former road star Daniel Oss (Stages 10-14), two-time winner Alberto Contador (Stage 15) and Blythe (Stages 16-21) will be doing their thing on the back of a motorbike to bring fans closer to the action.
Giro d’Italia 2024 TV schedule and route details
Stage | Date | Start / Finish | Distance | Breakaway on-air time (UK time) |
Stage 1 | Sat May 4 | Venaria Reale – Torino | 140km (hilly) | 12:30 |
Stage 2 | Sun May 5 | San Francesco al Campo – Santuario di Oropa (Biella) | 161km (summit finish) | 11:45 |
Stage 3 | Mon May 6 | Novara – Fossano | 166km (flat) | 12:00 |
Stage 4 | Tue May 7 | Acqui Terme – Andora | 190km (flat) | 11:15 |
Stage 5 | Wed May 8 | Genova – Lucca | 178km (hilly) | 11:30 |
Stage 6 | Thu May 9 | Torre del Lago Puccini (Viareggio) – Rapolano Terme | 180km (hilly) | 11:30 |
Stage 7 | Fri May 10 | Foligno – Perugia | 40.6km (ITT) | 11:45 |
Stage 8 | Sat May 11 | Spoleto – Prati di Tivo | 152km (summit finish) | 11:15 |
Stage 9 | Sun May 12 | Avezzano – Napoli | 214km (hilly) | 10:45 |
Rest Day | Mon May 13 | – | – | – |
Stage 10 | Tue May 14 | Pompei – Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva) | 142km (summit finish) | 11:45 |
Stage 11 | Wed May 15 | Foiano di Val Fortore – Francavilla al Mare | 207km (flat) | 10:45 |
Stage 12 | Thu May 16 | Martinsicuro – Fano | 193km (hilly) | 11:15 |
Stage 13 | Fri May 17 | Riccione – Cento | 179km (flat) | 11:45 |
Stage 14 | Sat May 18 | Castiglione delle Stiviere – Desenzano del Garda | 31.2km (ITT) | 12:00 |
Stage 15 | Sun May 19 | Manerba del Garda – Livigno (Mottolino) | 222km (summit finish) | 09:15 |
Rest Day | Mon May 20 | – | – | – |
Stage 16 | Tue May 21 | Livigno – Santa Cristina Valgardena/St. Christina in Groden (Monte Pana) | 202km (summit finish) | 10:15 |
Stage 17 | Wed May 22 | Selva di Val Gardena/Wolkenstein in Gröden – Passo del Brocon | 159km (summit finish) | 11:15 |
Stage 18 | Thu May 23 | Fiera di Primiero – Padova | 178km (flat) | 11:45 |
Stage 19 | Fri May 24 | Mortegliano – Sappada | 157km (hilly) | 11:45 |
Stage 20 | Sat May 25 | Alpago – Bassano del Grappa | 181km (mountainous) | 10:30 |
Stage 21 | Sun May 26 | Roma – Roma | 122km (flat) | 14:15 |