Stage 16 of the Giro led to many debates on Tuesday. In the end, due to extreme weather conditions, the first part of the course was cancelled, and the runners eventually reached the summit of Monte Pana after 118 kilometers of racing, under the rain. Tadej Pogacar took his fifth win in this edition while the whole Groupama-FDJ team safely reached the finish line.
It was initially supposed to be the “Stelvio stage”. Due to the risk of avalanches, the iconic climb was replaced a few days ago by the Umbrailpass, therefore the new “Cima Coppi” of the race. And eventually, all plans were shattered this Tuesday, due to extreme weather conditions, meaning snow and very low temperatures. After a very confused morning, the Giro riders learnt that the first part of the sixteenth stage was removed, which meant the start was eventually given after 80 kilometres. “It was a complicated, uncertain day, even a bit messy,” commented Frédéric Guesdon. “It took them a long time to make a decision about the stage we had to ride. It wasn’t an easy call for sure. We also should put ourselves in the organizers’ shoes. They absolutely wanted the start to be given in Livigno, but the weather decided otherwise. The best thing to do was to move a little further, to postpone the start and that’s what was decided in the end.”
“We had to stay focused”, Frédéric Guesdon
After a transfer by cars, the riders set off at 2:30 p.m. for a stage of almost 120 kilometers, flat for the first 80, before a very demanding final up to Monte Pana. “It’s never easy to get going again in these conditions, because you tend to lose concentration,” added Frédéric. “This is what we need to avoid because some were very interested in the stage. Besides, the weather didn’t really improve. So we had to stay focused and tell ourselves that it was a stage like any other. The decision was also fine for us, because the initial start profile was a bit hard given our squad.” Four riders managed to break away after a big fight, but the peloton always remained close, and on the final slopes, Tadej Pogacar went on to take another win. After hanging on for a while, Enzo Paleni crossed the line in 34th position. On Wednesday, the menu day will be particularly hard with the double ascent of Passo Brocon in the finale. “It will be another difficult day for us,” concluded Frédéric. “A hill start is hard when you’re not a climber, especially at the end of a Grand Tour. We will hold on at the start and we’ll try to pass the first climbs with big groups in order to get to the finish without worrying too much about the time limits.”
