Riders have hit out at Giro d’Italia race organisers amid the confusion and anger surrounding the farcical start of stage 16 in Livigno which, due to extreme weather, had to see its route eventually altered and racing postponed.
Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who sits fourth overall on GC, branded them as “dinosaurs” in his pre-race interview, in line with the riders protesting that the planned ascent and descent of the Umbrail Pass in freezing and snowy conditions was too dangerous and not worth the risk in modern cycling.
Compatriot Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) had similar choice words, calling organisers “a bit of joke” just before the scheduled new start in Lasa. The frustration was evident in Plapp’s voice, questioning how decisions were left so late despite calls from the riders earlier in the race.
“It’s probably one of the worst organised races I think and I’m just being honest. This would never happen in 99% of other situations,” O’Connor told Eurosport.
“It’s just a shame that it is 2024 and you have dinosaurs who really don’t see the human side of things.”
Riders banded together at the start after they were supposed to roll out of the ski resort start and ride neutralised through the Munt la Schera tunnel, instead opting to head to the new start location of Lasa in team vehicles.
This came after organisers thought they had reached an agreement with teams to start from Livigno despite the awful weather, but the riders, after voting unanimously as teams for a shortening of the stage in previous days, decided to take a stand and not show.
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“To be honest, the race organisation is a bit of a joke. We spoke up as a rider union and we were all together in our vote but they didn’t want to listen,” Plapp told Eurosport.
“It was a week ago or four days ago when we brought up the weather and they didn’t want to speak to us then or take on board any consideration.
“It’s really frustrating as riders. We want to work with them. We actually said three days ago that this is where we should start and race but they told us no. And it is only now that all this has finally happened that they listen to us. We’re here now and that’s good but the way we got here and how it’s all unfolded is not good enough.”
O’Connor went on to challenge Giro race director Mauro Vegni to test the conditions himself after the organisers tried to find a compromise and left the decision right until the very last minute, even having to postpone the day’s racing.
“I’d like to see him in our position, go outside on the bike and do the start of the stage and see what his answer is after those couple of hours,” O’Connor said.
“I wish he could experience it because then he would have a bit of a sense of what it’s actually really like rather than turning on the climate in his car and saying this is great for people to watch.”
With the frustration so clear after a statement from the CPA, the riders’ union, revealed the peloton had voted 100% as teams to not take on the Umbrail Pass and wanted to ride a shortened stage. Plapp called into question whether riders’ safety was actually being looked after.
“I think the way the situation was handled yesterday and all morning is quite frustrating,” Plapp said. “And it’s hard for riders to really comprehend how they consider what our safety is because I definitely don’t think our safety has been taken into consideration today.”
O’Connor was similarly confused by the organiser’s push to ride part of the stage as normal with the horrific weather in Livigno highlighting just what was to come when they ascended the Umbrail Pass which crests close to 2,500 metres.
“I would still like to ride the stage but I don’t want to ride over 2500 metres. It is already five degrees and pouring rain and at 2500 it is already snowing,” O’Connor said. “I think it is only clear you should just start a touch lower and do the finish. You still have a race, still have a final.”
Stage 16 has been shortened to 118.4km of racing, starting in Lasa in northern Italy and heading to the original finish location of Santa Cristina Valgardena (Monte Pana).
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