"It was the maximum that I could do": Andreas Leknessund realistic after taking second place on stage 8

Andreas Leknessund admitted he simply didn't have the legs to beat Jhonatan Narváez for the stage win on Saturday. The Uno-X Mobility rider formed the day's main breakaway alongside the UAE Team Emirates - XRG duo of Narváez and Mikkel Bjerg, but ultimately had to settle for second place at the end of the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia.

The opening phase of Saturday's stage provided plenty of tension, as it took a very long time for a breakaway to successfully snap the elastic and get away from the peloton. Leknessund was highly active in the early moves, but the weather conditions made things incredibly difficult.

"It was a tough start. There was a lot of headwind and I tried to get into the breakaway, but at one point I said to the guys: 'I think I'll give up, we're not getting away in this wind,'" the Norwegian rider admitted.

Despite his initial frustration, a tactical adjustment eventually paid off. “I chose to sit in the wheels a bit more and somehow I ended up off the front with Bjerg and Narvaez,” the Uno-X Mobility rider said, slightly surprised by how the move finally formed. “It was hard to build a gap to the chasers, but we worked well together.”

Once the trio successfully built a comfortable lead over the peloton, it became a straightforward battle for the stage honors. However, going up against two teammates from UAE Team Emirates XRG proved to be an impossible puzzle for Leknessund to solve, especially with Narváez flying high.

When the decisive attacks flew in the finale, Leknessund had to let the Ecuadorian rider go. “In the end Narváez was stronger at the end, a bit as expected,”Leknessund noted, taking a very realistic view of the finale. “I can't be disappointed. I can't say I was close to the win, but it was the maximum that I could do.”