May 17, 2003 – Mario Cipollini (Domina Vacanze-Elitron) finally did what he had come to do: win a stage at the Giro, tying legendary Italian rider Alfredo Binda's 41 wins in the Tour of Italy.  The first week of the Giro saw many wondering if the World Champ could still take on the best in the final gallop to the line, and prognosticators predicted this could be the end of Super Mario's reign; others spoke of the famous “World Champion's curse.”  But Stage 8 saw Cipo quiet all critics, outsprinting Aussie Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo) and previous stage-winner Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo).

Stage 8:

1. Mario Cipollini (Ita) Domina Vacanze-Elitron          5.29.46 (38.936 km/h)
2. Robbie McEwen (Aus) Lotto-Domo
3. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
4. Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Team fakta-Pata Chips
5. Isaac Galvez Lopez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca
6. Andris Nauduzs (Lat) CCC-Atlas-Polsat
7. Jan Svorada (Cze) Lampre
8. Angelo Furlan (Ita) Alessio
9. Bernhard Eisel (Aut) FDJeux.com
10. Crescenzo D'amore (Ita) Tenax

Overall:
1. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Vini Caldirola-SO.DI          37.09.10
2. Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Team Saeco                         0.31
3. Andrea Noe' (Ita) Alessio                                0.54
4. Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Alessio                          1.36
5. Marius Sabaliauskas (Ltu) Team Saeco                     1.38
6. Pavel Tonkov (Rus) CCC-Atlas-Polsat                      1.50
7. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago          1.56
8. Raimondas Rumsas (Ltu) Lampre                            2.04
9. Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner                       2.26
10. Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Vini Caldirola-SO.DI               3.12