Stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia has been shortened due to "extreme weather" which has "deteriorated further", the race's organisers announced on Tuesday morning.
Just as the stage was set to get underway from Livigno, RCS announced that the riders would no longer go up the Umbrail Pass into Switzerland, instead passing through the Munt Raschera Tunnel. The race will begin in Lasa, after which the peloton will race around 120km to the finish atop Monte Pana.
The situation is still live, and it is still unclear how the race will resume.
The press release from RCS read: "The stage will have its typical start and procedures in Livigno. From there, a parade will start towards the Tunnel Munt Raschera. The riders will stop and change before the Swiss border. The actual start will be in Prati allo Stelvio as per the time trial."
The organisers explained that three options were on the table: continuing as normal; allowing more vehicles to distribute extra clothing, and provide a parking zone at the top of the Umbrail Pass to allow riders to change clothes, with a time neutralisation; and a neutralisation of the race up to the point where "safety" conditions were met.
"At 9 a.m. the Extreme Weather Protocol Commission met and at 10 a., given the conditions at that time, decided to implement Option 2 with the opposition of the athletes," RCS said.
"A few minutes before the start, the weather conditions deteriorated further and so the Commission decided to fall back on Option 3."
The "opposition of the athletes" referenced was that riders unanimously voted to not to take part in the stage unless the course was changed to remove the Umbrail Pass.
"The prior meeting's discussions do not align with EWP [Extreme Weather Protocol] guidelines under UCI regulation or the ethics of the sport, especially given the current forecast," the riders' union, the CPA, said in a letter shared on social media. "Riders aim to compete and entertain, not to face a situation where they must stop at an altitude of 2,498 meters in a car park, change clothes in 2-degree weather with a high likelihood of snow, and then continue racing.
"Such conditions pose significant health risks, particularly during the descent of the Umbrail Pass. It is 2024; stopping and restarting races in such conditions is unacceptable. As one DS put it, 'this will be a shit show.'"
The race is supposed to resume at about 1300 BST from Spondigna. With the Umbrail Pass removed, the stage will be shortened to around 120km, with around 2500m of elevation taken out of the day too.
The finish will still be atop Monte Pana, a second-category climb, after the Passo Pinei, which is first-category.
It is not the first time that extreme weather has impacted the Giro d'Italia. Last year's stage 13 was shortened due to heavy rain, while in 2021 two climbs were taken out of a stage due to freezing weather. Stage 19 of the 2020 race was shortened by 100km after riders refused to ride in the freezing rain.
On Tuesday, Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), fourth on GC, said that the Giro's organisers were "dinosaurs".
"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," he 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.
"I would still like to ride the stage but I don't want to ride over 2500m. It is already 5 degrees and pouring rain and at 2500 it is already snowing. I think it is only clear you should just start a touch lower and do the finish.
"I'd like to see him [the race's organiser] 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."
For their part, RCS, the Giro's organisers, complained that the riders had not turned up for a "town parade" in Livigno, despite agreeing to.
"On today's meeting, an agreement was reached on moving the race from Livigno with a town parade," a new press release reads. "Despite an handshake between the parties, the athletes did not show up at the start in Livigno."
Follow our live coverage for when the race resumes.
