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The organization of the Volta a Itália by bicycle decided this Friday to donate the monetary prizes due to the cyclists of the 19th stage, after a protest from the runners for having shortened the draw.
The day, won by the Czech Josef Cerny (CCC), started with a controversial alteration of what would be the longest stage of the Giro, with 258 kilometers planned, but which ended up being reduced to 124 kilometers.
“Today’s Stage Awards [sexta-feira] it will be donated by the organizers to a medical center dedicated to the fight against covid-19 ”, can be read in a publication on the social network Twitter made by the official account of the event.
The bad weather, which was already planned for this stage, and the extension were the main complaints of the cyclists, who presented several reasons, from the loss of capacity of the immune system in the middle of the covid-19 pandemic to accumulated fatigue, health risks and other complaints.
The organization relented, but without promising a further analysis of the incident, which could lead to lawsuits, and the team buses were, in some cases, literally picking up cyclists who were hitting the road, to warm up or for the exit, transporting to everybody. Abbiategrasso’s entourage.
The race director, Mauro Vegni, kept coming to Asti and guaranteed that “the culprits will have to pay”, promising the instigators of the protest, which was revealed at the time of the start, a legal battle.
“I feel, above all, disappointment, is the word, because we tried to ride the Giro, it was very difficult, and we wanted to give a sign that this is a brave sport. Today’s stage [sexta-feira] crush any effort, ”he shot.
According to Vegni, the organization knew what was happening “five minutes before the game”, and the specialized press reported a vote, carried out on the Internet, by representatives of all teams, and all but two asked for a shortening of the draw.
Despite this guarantee, many cyclists lined up at the start, some, like the Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo), assuring that they did not know of any vote.
“I knew there were discussions on Thursday, but I didn’t think there would be any decision about asking to shorten the stage. We have already raced in worse conditions. Today I was at the limit,” defended the Italian, the only one in the race who has already won all three. great returns.
On the other hand, Bora-hansgrohe of Slovak Peter Sagan, who was fighting for points classification, said today that the protest “was not correct”.
“It is true that the previous stage was very hard, with more than 5,800 meters of unevenness, with the particular difficulty of the Stelvio. It is also true that we left the hotel at six in the morning and with difficult weather conditions. But it was possible to run , and I think it is unfair to inform the organizers in this way. It was not professional, “said Ralph Denk, general manager of the German team.
The vote, carried out through the online platform Telegram, was carried out by the representatives of each team of the Association of Professional Cyclists (CPA), opening a controversy that seems to extend over time with the judicial processes announced by the organization.
To the Italian television Rai, the representative of the CPA in the Giro, Cristian Salvato, explained that he was contacted by cyclists, who asked him for a reduction in mileage, to which he indicated that the conditions were already outlined long before the start of the 103 edition. .
The late arrival at the hotels and the early departure of this Friday, with three days of high mountain in the legs, caused the insistence of the runners, although many of the 133 who remained in the race had been equipped and prepared as if it were a day normal.
“I ate to do 260 kilometers, I dressed for that, but two minutes from the start I only see about 25 cyclists”, among them the leaders of the classifications, as revealed by the Portuguese Ruben Guerreiro (Education First), the Belgian Thomas de Gendt (Lotto Soudal).
The riders then joined one of the organization’s tents to discuss with Mauro Vegni and the commissioners of the International Cycling Union, at a time when Adam Hansen (Lotto Soudal) rose to prominence.
“He spoke because he is one of the elders, he is the person he talks to, not as a rider in Lotto,” but as a representative of the CPA, said de Gendt.
The 103rd edition of the Volta a Itália by bicycle runs until Sunday, in Milan, with the Dutch Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb) at the head of the general, Ruben Guerreiro with the mathematically assured mountain and João Almeida (Deceuninck-QuickStep), former leader 15 days, fifth overall.
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