It's downright dreadful weather in Italy at the moment. Even for the challenging thirteenth stage, a lot of rain is expected to pour down in Italy, which doesn't improve the mood. Add to that a remaining eighty-kilometer mountain stage to Crans Montana in Switzerland, and that's a tough situation for a large portion of the peloton...
Aurelien Paret-Peintre was the first to speak to Cycling Pro Net, and he immediately mentioned the possibility of shortening the stage. "I think that would be a good decision. I've seen a few pictures, and it didn't look good. They will make the right decision in the end," the Frenchman said after signing on at the starting podium.
Thibaut Pinot also spoke up. "What will happen? I don't know. At the moment, it's not raining heavily, but doing two descents around freezing point simply isn't possible. It's not a pretty situation."
After the starting podium, the riders hop aboard the bus to begin the stage at the foot of the Croix de Coueur. The stage would then be 74 kilometers long, but the challenging Coueur climb is still included in the route.
The Giro indeed announces around 11 a.m. that the stage will be shortened. "Given the conditions in Italy, the committee has decided to accommodate the athletes' request to apply the Extreme Weather Protocol. The thirteenth stage will start in La Chable and, from there, will race to Crans Montana."
Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) disagrees and doesn't understand the decision to still include the Couer climb. "One of the reasons we didn't want to do the Couer is because we couldn't change clothes for the dangerous descent. I don't understand that compromise," said the Australian, who crashed on Thursday. "I don't feel great, and I feel quite bruised after that crash."
Gianni Moscon doesn't understand the decision either, and wanted to race as planned. "It is true that the weather is bad, and it is true that we are tired. But I don't think the conditions justify shortening the stage. In my opinion, we could just ride, and if someone wanted to quit, they could. The doctor didn't order us to become professional cyclists," he said to Tuttobici. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) agreed with him. "If riders want to give up, they can just do it, right?"
Given the adverse weather conditions, especially on the Italian side, the Commission decided to meet the athletes' requests by applying the Extreme Weather Protocol. Stage 13 will be shortened with the new km 0 being set at Le Chable, at the bottom of the Croix de Couer. The…
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