05/17/25 11:24:00
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05/17 11:22 CDT Plapp solos to stage win and Ulissi becomes first Italian to
lead Giro in 4 years
Plapp solos to stage win and Ulissi becomes first Italian to lead Giro in 4
years
CASTELRAIMONDO, Italy (AP) --- Luke Plapp soloed to victory in the eighth stage
of the Giro d'Italia for the biggest win of his career while Italian veteran
Diego Ulissi moved into the overall lead on Saturday.
"Crazy, crazy," Plapp said with a smile immediately after his first victory in
a Grand Tour.
Plapp attacked from a breakaway with about 45 kilometers (28 miles) remaining
and had about a minute's advantage on the final climb. The Australian rider
then used his time trialling skills to hold off his chasers.
"I knew I couldn't beat any of them in a sprint, so I knew I had to go at some
stage pretty early," Plapp said. "I just thought I'd give it a crack and, to be
honest, just wanted a bit of a head start on the descent as well.
"So, to stay away all the way to the finish is definitely not what I expected."
Plapp had plenty of time to celebrate, sitting up and lifting his arms out as
he crossed the line 38 seconds ahead of Wilco Kelderman and Ulissi at the end
of the tricky 97-kilometer (122-mile) route from Giulianova to Castelraimondo.
"I feel like it's been a long time coming," Plapp said. "Last year I got so
close at the Giro so many times, and for today to happen is so, so special.
"We marked it as a stage (to win) for a few weeks now and then this morning on
the bus we were really really excited. So to make it happen is a dream come
true."
Ulissi faced an anxious wait to see whether he'd done enough to take the pink
jersey from pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic and become the first Italian to
lead the race since 2021.
He let out a loud yell of joy when it was confirmed, after Roglic and most of
the rest of the peleton finished nearly five minutes off the pace.
Ulissi, who had never previously led the Giro, has a 12-second advantage over
compatriot Lorenzo Fortunato and was 17 seconds ahead of Roglic.
"Just before putting it on (the leader's jersey), I was really thinking about
the afternoons I spent with my grandparents when I was a kid and watching the
Giro and dreaming," Ulissi said.
"I had already realized the dream of winning stages, I came very close to
wearing the pink jersey. Now, living this dream at the end of my career ---
because I'm not getting any younger --- is everything, truly a great joy."
Even more special is that Ulissi will be in pink as his home race heads into
his home region of Tuscany.
"I'm thinking of sleeping with the maglia rosa on tonight," Ulissi said with a
laugh. "But the thought of going through my Tuscany with the maglia rosa is
truly a great emotion."
Sunday's ninth stage includes a mini Strade Bianche on the white, gravel roads
on the 181-kilometer route from Gubbio to Siena.
The Giro ends in Rome on June 1.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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