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

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They are also equipped for it. Anyone goes skiing you have a ski jacket, pants, boots and thick socks. Ski jumpers and alpine skiers have tights and clothing designed for speed but are designed for maximum warmth in freezing temperatures. It wasn’t all that long ago that a cycling kit required you to stick newspaper down your jersey so your sweat didn’t freeze on the descent in stifling heat.
What's stopping the same materials and gear being used to create cold-weather cycling kit? Nothing, it's just that there's a lack of a need for it, because the roads would be unsafe at the temperatures it would be needed at.

That is my point. Hansen's letter cited the cold as the danger, but the cold is not what causes the problem, because, if equipped for it, they could easily race in the sub-zero temperatures. Hell, cyclocrossers already do on occasion. It's the road conditions at those temperatures that make racing in them unsafe for road cycling, not the temperatures themselves.
 
So, could RCS sue the riders union for damage because of the no show at the start in Livigno? They can argue that now they have to host another stage start there or give them a stage finish for less money next year and demand that those who caused their financial loss have to pay it.
As a general rule you can't sue a union for economic loss caused by regular union action because, well, that defeats the point of unions existing (the point of a strike is economic loss, forcing unions to pay for it bankrupts them). However since this isn't an employer/employee relationship, I have no idea - there might be different agreements in place with teams too.
 
As a general rule you can't sue a union for economic loss caused by regular union action because, well, that defeats the point of unions existing (the point of a strike is economic loss, forcing unions to pay for it bankrupts them). However since this isn't an employer/employee relationship, I have no idea - there might be different agreements in place with teams too.
Sign a contract with the teams that goes with the appearance money. If the teams are not able to get their riders to race the route as agreed to when it is deemed raceable by the UCI, sue the teams.
 
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What's stopping the same materials and gear being used to create cold-weather cycling kit? Nothing, it's just that there's a lack of a need for it, because the roads would be unsafe at the temperatures it would be needed at.

That is my point. Hansen's letter cited the cold as the danger, but the cold is not what causes the problem, because, if equipped for it, they could easily race in the sub-zero temperatures. Hell, cyclocrossers already do on occasion. It's the road conditions at those temperatures that make racing in them unsafe for road cycling, not the temperatures themselves.
I’m not excusing it, just playing devil’s advocate.

However, the problem with designing clothes made for the temperatures is the extreme changes you can see in each stage. It’s the only sport where you can start a stage in freezing temperatures and then finish it in completely different weather conditions.
 
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If Nairo is feeling near his best, then Movistar chasing makes sense followed by attacking from the peloton. It all comes down to whether Teddy wants to win today.

If Teddy doesn’t care to contest the stage, then Nairo probably feels that he can win if he has ridden himself into form. The other GC riders will be marking each other, and even if they followed him, none of them are better pure climbers than Nairo when he is on good form.
 
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Movistar mustve had the guarantee from Pogacar UAE wouldn't try to chase on the last climb. Otherwise this is just weird.

Or they just gamble on a long one with Rubio and or Nairo.
It's also possible, that this is some kind of stunt for TV time and a discussion about them among the perplexed commentators.
If you don't try you won't win, this way they can try at least. But it will probably result in Pogacar winning the stage (which I am fine with)
 
Majka could've won today, I think in his interview Pog said he should go, bu he already worked for a while so he was tired. It should've decided beforehand that he goes for it and not to do any work on the front. And Pog could just mark anyone in the peloton, it would've been a good tactic.
 
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