for most it is pointless, but as I said before, in the end it may decide the winner of this Giro. I still hope for some action tomorrow, but with less tired legs it'll be much harder to force a selection on that course.
Shortening the race today could very well make the difference between Kelderman winning the Giro or not. So it's not pointless at all
Exactly right - it's not about this stage, which I agree could be run over 50km for all the difference it will make to the stage itself, it's the impact on the dynamic of the race overall.
Firstly because as you say, there's less chance of forcing a separation tomorrow and also because you have to question whether there may have been different tactical approaches to
yesterday's stage if the teams knew it was to be followed by a short flat stage rather than the longest stage in the race. In particular, with a reduced chance of Kelderman losing significant time tomorrow due to fresher legs, would Sunweb have still had Hindley stick to TGH, or would they have pulled him back to help Kelderman, maybe reducing Kelderman's losses and giving him a bigger buffer in pink?
It's all a bit shabby in my opinion. In an event like a grand tour, where tactics over the duration of the race are important to ensure riders marshal their reserves effectively, 11th hour changes like this are not really a good thing.