Extreme temperatures

Rider protest at the Giro! Route has been changed

Romain Bardet and his rivals refused to tackle the stage as planned.(Bild: AFP/APA/Luca Bettini)

After a rider protest due to the extreme weather conditions, the route of the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia has been changed this Tuesday. 

As temperatures of two degrees and a 95 percent chance of snow were forecast on the Umbrail Pass, the professional cyclists refused to start. "Such conditions pose considerable health risks," said the riders' union CPA.

The organizer RCS finally decided to start the stage in Livigno. Before the Munt-Raschera tunnel, the professional cyclists will be taken in cars to the foot of the Stelvio Pass, where the real start will take place. "It's really bad weather," said overall first-placed Tadej Pogacar. "I've already seen snowflakes at our hotel, which is 1,900 meters above sea level. 600 meters higher up, it is certainly full of snow. It's dangerous to ski down there."

A stage with difficulties
After the descent in Livigno, the 2498-metre-high Umbrail Pass was supposed to be crossed on Tuesday before continuing towards the finish in Val Gardena/Gröden. Originally, the organizer RCS had planned to set up a stopping zone at the top of the pass, where the riders would have had the opportunity to change their clothes during a three-minute break. "The year is 2024 and it is unacceptable to stop and restart races in such circumstances," the CPA continued.

The Umbrail Pass was only added to the route last week instead of the 2,758-metre-high Stelvio Pass due to the risk of avalanches. Ahead of the final six stages of the Tour of Italy, the Slovenian Pogacar is in the lead by almost seven minutes.