• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Giro d’Italia 2024, Stage 16: Livigno – Santa Cristina Valgardena/Sankt Christina in Gröden (Monte Pana), 202.0k 206.0k

Page 2 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
20 May. RCS Sport, the organizing company of the Giro de Italia, has announced the protocol that will be in force during the 16th stage of the Italian round that could be neutralized or applied certain extreme measures in the event of a worsening of weather conditions. It should be remembered that the ascent to the Stelvio, scheduled for this sixteenth day, has already been cancelled due to possible landslides. Following this afternoon's meeting, the organizers unveiled a series of measures to take into account:

In case of worsening weather conditions, a parking area will be set up at the top of the Giogo di Santa Maria to give runners the opportunity to change clothes. The race will be neutralized for 3 minutes and is expected to be located before the ascension of the Giogo di Santa Maria or at kilometer 40.
In the event of extreme weather conditions, the stage will be neutralized to a place where the security conditions are met.

 

What if the peloton would just let Pogi go on Santa Maria, or simply for nobody to tell Pogi there is the 3 minute pit stop rule, and here me out, Mamma Mia, then we could still have a breakaway win, GC guys tactically doing exactly nothing, or something like that, and nobody would even dare to touch the celebrating "too early or late" thread, all goats being happy!
 
There was me looking at the profile hoping for something akin to this festival of pajaras.

_wT0lOh0nPxtcMYKpYPumgpTzBgXovhrbzohI-wzrHuz4Bis4AEokGHxSm-TUrNqrBScRoGhSxBkIkvShdQeOp0qURs6QhVyZ5wB8pdqtll4NJoe
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Sandisfan
Especially the rain part, like the risk of snow thing is newsworthy, but riders to ride despite rain does not belong in a news headline, this isn‘t F1.
Even F1, unless it turns into Sepang 2009 or Nürburgring 2007, no need for cancellation.

Need I remind people that every year when May comes around we see celebration of this:

screenshot-2020-05-24-at-22.49.14.png


gavia-hampsten88-switch.jpg


Now I know times are different now, but it just seems wild that we celebrate these iconic events of the past while simultaneously raising alarms about organiser recklessness because an outdoor sport has to deal with the existence of weather.

Hell, even far more recently 2010's legendary Giro that received almost universal praise gave us all of the below, 100% of which would have likely been cancelled, abridged or neutralized today:

gOF08Cl0bcYDBwsAv1O58ek2YXcohNbJEiPzwC0QMH3KX9pUyqrzqDePIRTCHzkIBL31F4A4g-gw3l5KAEFnAwUzgDRbLQ6HhNRUIwiqXHrFz8oEKfKV1ckIeURCy062dnI


19-M.jpg


giro-2010-sterrato.jpeg


20-panorama-2.jpg
 
They plan to race the 15 km descent from Foscagno Pass which is forecast to be 4 degC and wet. Then an hour later they plan to neutralise at Umbrail Pass which is forecast to be 4 degC and wet. Then they plan to maybe or maybe not tackle the 13 km descent from there.

I'm going to assume none of that will happen - this will be Hansenised and they'll start the stage somewhere after the Umbrail Pass descent but even that might be optimistic.
 
  • Angry
Reactions: Sandisfan
Today's press release is the most classic example of stupid demands leading to stupid compromises. I would be arguing that there should be a standardised approach, but there already is one - the Extreme Weather Protocol. Which, correctly, doesn't cover 'it's cold and wet and I don't like riding in that kind of weather, let's manufacture outrage'.

At least it's not Tour of Turkey where they neutralize the whole stage if it's sightly raining.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
If he'd arrived in cycling 15 years later, Ian Stannard would have had no career. King of the appalling weather.
One-day racing is generally safe because you can just stop if you‘re cold without missing out on any winning chances, and because riders can‘t stage a protest the next day. They wouldn‘t race LBL 1980, but besides that, it‘s actually fine. Flèche Wallonne this year went through without people dying or neutralisation this year.