Ben Healy goes on long-range bid for glory at Baby Giro | Video | Sticky Bottle

*Italian Riccardo Ciuccarelli takes the biggest win of his career so far on stage 8 of the Baby Giro today*

Ben Healy may have lost some ground at the Baby Giro today but the Irish champion really took the race on and went for a long-range solo attack in a bid to win stage 8.

The 20-year-old forged ahead of a large breakaway group in a bid to regain some of the time he had lost earlier in the race to those ahead of him in the top 10, as well as aiming for stage victory.

While he came up short and relinquished time to the favourites, he put in a fantastic effort and underlined his class on the 115.5km stage from Aprica to Andalo.

A breakaway group of 34 riders got clear early on the stage, with Healy in that move. At the halfway point, and after the first big climb of the day, the leaders had 3½ minutes on the peloton containing race leader Juan Ayuso (Colpack Ballan).

🎥 La fuga, l'attacco, l'affondo. Gli ultimi metri di Riccardo Ciuccarelli a Andalo.

🎥 The break, the attack, the key move. Riccardo Ciuccarelli’s final meters into Andalo.#girogiovani2021 pic.twitter.com/pI5j1fQdXr

— Giro d'Italia Giovani Under 23 (@giroditaliau23) June 10, 2021

With over 30km to go Healy (Trinity Racing) attacked from the front group and gained a gap of 1:20 on it. The remains of the peloton were led at the time by the race leader's team Colpack Ballan.

Healy ploughed on out front on his own towards the base of the final challenge; two climbs one after the other to make 10km of continuous ascending before a mainly flat section for 3km to the finish.

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However, while the Irish champion retained his gap on both breakaway and peloton for a long time, the race exploded behind him on the climb. Healy was eventually overhauled by many of the men he had been in the large breakaway with.

And while the race leader's group also blew to pieces, the strongest riders from that group - including Ayuso - caught most of the escapees before the finish line.

*The riders of the Baby Giro raced through spectacular, of grueling, countryside today on stage 8*

Eventual stage winner, 21-year-old Italian Riccardo Ciuccarelli (Biesse Arvedi), made it up the climb in a five-man group that emerged from the breakaway, catching and passing Healy.

And with about 5km to go Ciuccarelli attacked and went on to win the stage. He claimed the victory by 26 seconds from Anders Johannessen (Uno-X Dare Development).

Colombian rider Didier Merchan(Colombia Tierra de Atletas) claimed 3rd place when he won the sprint from a group of five, all of whom had been in the breakaway with Healy.

*Ben Healy has been riding well and his bid for a stage victory at the Baby Giro still has two more days to run (File photo by Didier Fourez)*

In the end of the Irish rider paid for his early efforts and had to be content with 41st on the stage, finishing in a large group some 3:36 down on the winner.

The race leader rode a strong final climb and though he would finish 15th and 1:37 down on the stage winner, he did more than enough to retain his race lead.

He now has 2:57 in hand over 2nd placed Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Dare Development), whose twin brother was 2nd today. Healy has slipped four places to 13th overall. But with two days remaining, his hunt for a stage win will continue.