Marco Frigo made his mark on stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia, being part of a strong breakaway after a frantic start to the day. Unfortunately, Frigo missed out on the winning move and had to see his chances of success disappear on the Italian roads.

“I felt really good today and I really wanted to win this stage,” Frigo explained after the finish.

“But at one point, the race slipped out of my control, and I lost all my chances. It’s really frustrating because it wasn’t due to my legs. Maybe I was unaware at the wrong moment, I don’t even remember now, but suddenly a group of riders got away and opened up a gap that was too big to close. Sometimes, in just 10 seconds, you can lose everything.”

Due to the fast pace and countless attacks, it took nearly 80 kilometers before the breakaway, with Frigo, managed to distance the peloton for good. Eager to improve on his third, fifth, and sixth place finishes from the 2023 Giro d’Italia, the 25-year-old Italian stayed attentive near the front of the group, helping to set the pace on the first long climb of the day.

“Maybe I spent too much energy at the front on the climbs, but when you’re in a group of 20 riders and feeling good, you don’t want to miss out on any dangerous moves. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened in the end,” Frigo said.

Seeing the stage win slip away, Frigo eventually sat up and was caught by the peloton in the final kilometers.

“I guess I could have gone all-in to try for a top-10 result, but that’s not what I was aiming for today. I wanted to win, and I also have to manage my energy because there’s still a long way to go in this race, and I need to support Derek [Gee] for the GC too. I just wish I had taken full advantage of this opportunity, as I won’t have many chances for myself in this race.”

Despite the disappointment of missing out on a good opportunity to claim his first Grand Tour stage victory, after finishing second on stage 6 of the Vuelta a España last year, Frigo still found positives in today’s performance.

“This is definitely a big confidence boost for me, looking ahead to what’s coming. My legs were really good today, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the next stages.”

IPT team leader Derek Gee finished the day with the GC favorites and now sits 22nd in the general classification ahead of Sunday’s challenging gravel stage to Siena.