Giro boss Mauro Vegni does not give up: the Italian wants the Giro to finish on October 25 in Milan. Vegni dismisses the increasing criticism about the corona measures in the Giro and counter a critical Thomas De Gendt.
After yesterday’s rainy stage, Mauro Vegni defended his position not to stop the Giro.
“We use the same measures as in other races”, argued the boss of the Giro at Cyclingnews.com, among others. “I don’t understand why the Giro should be viewed differently.”
“We had 8 positive cases on the first day of rest last Monday. But how many infections were there in other places?”
“We are just October and the numbers are rising. In Italy there were 9,000 cases on Thursday.”
“It is therefore logical that there is more stress than in August”, he refers to the Tour de France, where the bubble in the peloton has been able to hold up.
We use the same measures as in other courses. Why should we be viewed differently?
“Someone like De Gendt has to be careful when he makes a claim”
But in the peloton the grumbling is getting louder. EF Pro Cycling asked for the Giro to finish on Sunday, Thomas De Gendt indicated that he feels unsafe and also seemed to give the organization a wipe out. “I have the feeling that they are hiding things,” it said on Thursday.
Vegni: “I called his team manager during the ride and I told him that Thomas should be careful if he says anything.”
“If you say that we might” fix “the results, then that is very serious. International health is at stake.”
“I respect the riders and their fears. But there has also been incorrect behavior in the team bubbles, but I will not go into that further,” it sounded somewhat cynical.
Vegni to our reporter: “We have nothing to hide”
This morning Mauro Vegni appeared in front of our camera. “I thought Thomas De Gendt’s statements were a pity,” he repeated.
“I asked Lotto-Soudal to keep it calm. If there is a problem, you can talk to us in all serenity.”
The test capacity is being increased thoroughly. “The teams who were diagnosed with contamination have been thoroughly tested in recent days.”
“We are still carrying out tests today, just like on the rest day. And if necessary, we do that 1 or 2 more times for Milan.”
“We do that to give the riders peace of mind. The corona virus is not a problem for the Giro, but for the world. We have to look ahead with our heads held high.”
“We are also talking about health here. You cannot play with that. We have released the correct figures on the number of infections. We have nothing to hide.”
