Giro d’Italia organisers RCS Sport have confirmed that Tuesday’s 16th stage from Livigno to Santa Cristina Val Gardena will go ahead despite worsening weather forecasts and a risk of heavy rain and cold temperatures for much of the day.
The 206km stage is due to descend from Livigno to Bormio via the Passo di Foscagno and then climb to 2,498 metres on the Passo dello Stelvio before turning left and descending the Umbrail Pass into Switzerland for a valley ride to the Val Gardena finish. The summit of the Passo dello Stelvio had already been cut from the stage due to recent heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.
In recent years the riders, their CPA riders association and RCS Sport have argued about riding in extreme weather conditions, sparking protests, tension and disruption to the racing.
Last year the stage to Crans-Montana in Switzerland was reduced from 199km to just 74km and riders covered the Gran San Bernardo by team bus after a risk of bad weather that never materialised. RCS Sport are keen for Tuesday’s stage to go ahead as planned.
Cyclingnews understands that the riders were concerned about descending the Umbrail pass in close to freezing temperatures after being soaked by cold rain on the climb. They were in favour of cutting the Umbrail Pass from the stage and travelling to a new start point by bus after signing on in Livigno.
As per the UCI rules and the Extreme Weather Protocol, a special meeting was held on Monday afternoon in Livigno to avoid a repeat of the polemica.
The meeting was attended by the chief UCI commissaire Joey Ermens, RCS Sport race director Mauro Vegni, race safety officer Stefano Allocchio, race doctor Massimo Branca, team representative David McPartland, who is a directeur sportif with Jayco AlUla, and Cristian Salvato of the Italian riders association, the official CPA representative for the Giro d’Italia.
However, after a vote, RCS Sport announced that the stage would go on as planned ‘If weather conditions are deemed normal’.
Cyclingnews understands that the stage will be reduced if the weather proves to be as bad as forecast.
It was also decided that an extra team car would be allowed in the race to better help riders, while the broom wagon and commissaire cars would help distribute extra clothing.
A special ‘parking zone’ will be created at the summit of the Umbrail Pass, after 50km of the stage, and the race could be neutralised for three minutes to allow riders to change clothing.
The official communique from RCS sport said: “In the event of extreme weather conditions, the stage will be neutralised up to a place where the safety conditions are met.”
There is no detail on how it is decided that ‘extreme weather conditions’ exist, when ‘safety conditions are met’ or how the riders will be protected and transported if the stage is neutralised high on the Umbrail Pass.
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