The 2012 Giro d'Italia went through the spine of Italy on a 229 km run from Sulmona to Lago Laceno, and at the end of the stage, Domenico Pozzovivo crossed the finish line first in 6:06:05. This was a 23-second lead on second-place finisher Benat Intxausti Elorriaga. The next 23 riders came in 27 seconds behind Pozzovivo.
Garmin-Barracuda's Ryder Hesjedal came in with that third grouping of riders to maintain the maglia rosa (pink jersey) for a second day in a row. Teammate Christian Vande Velde was the second-place finisher among Garmin riders, but he was 1:24 behind the Stage 8 winner Pozzovivo.
This marks the end of a three-day trip through the mountains, but it is only a short break. On Monday, a flat stage from San Giorgio del Sannio to Frosinone awaits the riders, but they will alternate that with medium mountains until the weekend, which marks the start of the difficult mountain stages.
Here is how the top 10 for the stage finished (complete Stage 8 standings):
| Pos. | Name | Country | Team | Time | d | Time bonus |
| 1 | Domenico Pozzovivo | ITA | COG | 6:06:05 | 0:00 | 20" |
| 2 | Benat Intxausti Elorriaga | ESP | MOV | 6:06:28 | 0:23 | 12" |
| 3 | Joaquim Rodriguez | ESP | KAT | 6:06:32 | 0:27 | 8" |
| 4 | Thomas De Gendt | BEL | VCD | 6:06:32 | 0:27 | |
| 5 | Dario Cataldo | ITA | OPQ | 6:06:32 | 0:27 | |
| 6 | Damiano Caruso | ITA | LIQ | 6:06:32 | 0:27 | |
| 7 | Gianluca Brambilla | ITA | COG | 6:06:32 | 0:27 | |
| 8 | Bartosz Huzarski | POL | APP | 6:06:32 | 0:27 | |
| 9 | Jose Rujano Guillen | VEN | AND | 6:06:32 | 0:27 | |
| 10 | John Gadret | FRA | ALM | 6:06:32 | 0:27 |
For more on the 2012 Giro d'Italia, stick with SB Nation Denver and visit cycling blog Podium Cafe.