Tour of Italy A clear view of the weather chaos: Pogacar wins the 16th stage of the Giro
Temperatures of two degrees and a 95 percent chance of snow were forecast at the Umbrail Pass. photo
© Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse/AP
The final week of the Giro d’Italia begins with a strike. Bad weather forces the riders to change the route. In the end, Tadej Pogacar wins again.
Dominator Tadej Pogacar won the opening of the final week of the 107th Giro d’Italia, which was marked by chaotic weather conditions. The overall leader from Slovenia won solo on Monte Pana near Val Gardena and relegated Italian Giulio Pellizzari to second place on the shortened 16th stage. For Pogacar, it was already the fifth daily victory in the current Giro. Overall, it was the 75th victory of his career.
In the overall standings, favorite Pogacar extended his commanding lead. The 25-year-old is more than seven minutes ahead of Colombian Daniel Martinez. The captain of the German team Bora-hansgrohe took third place and overtook Welshman Geraint Thomas in the overall standings.
Drivers do not accept organizer’s proposal
The day initially started chaotically. Since temperatures of two degrees and a probability of snow of 95 percent were forecast at the Umbrail Pass, the professional cyclists refused to start. “Such conditions pose significant health risks,” said the drivers’ union CPA. They would not be in line with the regulations of the world association UCI for extreme weather conditions.
The organiser RCS finally decided to start the stage in Laas a few hours late. In total, the riders still had 118.7 kilometres to cover in rain and cold temperatures. “It’s really bad weather,” said Pogacar. “In our hotel, which is at an altitude of 1,900 metres, I’ve already seen snowflakes. 600 metres higher it’s surely full of snow. It’s dangerous to ride there.”
After the departure from Livigno, the 2498 meter high Umbrail Pass was supposed to be crossed on Tuesday before continuing towards the destination Val Gardena. The organizer RCS had originally planned to set up a stopping zone at the top of the pass where the riders would have had the opportunity to change clothes during a three-minute break.
“The year is 2024. It is unacceptable to cancel and restart races under such circumstances,” the CPA continued. The Umbrail Pass was only added to the route last week instead of the 2,758 meter high Stelvio Pass because of the danger of avalanches there.
dpa
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