Naples, where seismic activity has defined the city's topography, knows what it means to be nervous. The winding urban circuit of stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia was a day of jittery, low-grade anxiety for the overall contenders, but everyone made it safely to the finish line by the sea in the peloton. No challenger died looking at Naples.

But the tectonic shift in this Giro is slowly beginning and something has to happen soon. The tense Naples leg followed a grueling ride in the Basilicata mountains on Friday, and Gruppo's fatigue is steadily spreading. Romain Bardet (DSM) is hoping for the first big shock to the overall standings on the summit of the Brockhaus on stage 9.

Bardet is in 11th place overall, 2:06 behind Maria Rosa's Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) and 24 seconds ahead of Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) among the pre-race favorites. Yates' advantage was established in last weekend's Budapest Time Trial, and since then the GC men have been evenly matched despite potential obstacles on the route.

"Friday's stage created a lot of fatigue. But when you don't have a summit finish, it's hard to make a difference, especially in the first week when the levels are even. Bardet said in Naples. You have to build up fatigue before the attacks and gaps get too big."

A year ago, Ineos Grenadier replaced eventual winner Egan Bernal, who launched an onslaught on stage 6 in Ascoli, aiming to tear the race apart in the opening week. The men in black, on behalf of Richard Carapas, dictated the terms here as well. Even if their efforts did not create a gap here and now, they increased the tension and fatigue of the overall contenders.

"Last year's opening day was a bit more aggressive," Bardet said. Ineos is trying to control the race." The Ineos are trying to control the race. They are used to this. They are used to doing this; they run at the front, and they make everyone tired and stressed."

With the exception of Tom Dumoulin, whose podium challenge ended on Mt. Etna, the main pre-race contenders for the win were all within a minute of Yates in the overall standings. The only one who made a move was Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), who moved up in the standings with an aggressive ride in Naples. On stage 9, he will face a tough summit finish at Passo Lanciano and Brockhaus.

Bardet has never ridden the Brockhaus, but he has studied video of Nairo Quintana winning this stage five years ago. The Frenchman expects the same thing to happen on Sunday.

"I watched the video from 2017. It will be very hard and there is a very tough col before that," Bardet said. 'We can't hide tomorrow.'

When Bardet first arrived south of the Alps with the under-23 French contingent, he and his teammates jokingly called each other names in Italian style. Baldet's fascination with riding Italian roads began then, but once he began his professional career with AG2R, he was obliged to line up in the Tour de France virtually every season, and he was on the podium in 2016 and 2017.

Moving to DSM last year allowed Bardet to divert his focus from July for the first time.

"It wasn't my decision to join the Giro so late. I really like this race and I am happy to be here," Bardet said.

"I think I am a more complete rider now, more experienced and more relaxed in the way I approach things. I am happy to win some races again. It made me a better me."

Bardet will lead the overall standings with his young teammate, Timen Arensmann (2:15, 13th), who will join Ineos from DSM next season. The Dutchman finished third in the Tour de l'Alps and played an important role in setting up Bardet's victory.

"My role is to help Romain. I have a very good feeling that I can do well in GC for him," Allenman said. The white jersey is not the goal. Losing time is not a problem at all."

In a race without a dominant contender, Bardet's chances of winning the maglia rosa cannot be ruled out. ''I'm not sure,'' he said. But with only a week to go and the most difficult stages yet to come, it's hard to say."