Giro d’Italia chaos: Ben O’Connor slams organisers as ‘dinosaurs’ who fail to see ‘human side’ amid Stage 16 stand-off

Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) slammed Giro d’Italia organisers as “dinosaurs” for initially refusing to bow to rider demands to significantly alter Stage 16 due to heavy rain and snow at high altitude.

Leading the outcry was O’Connor, whose candid remarks highlighted the tension between the riders and the race organisers.

“It’s probably one of the worst organised races I think, I’m just being honest,” O’Connor bluntly told Eurosport.

“This would never happen in 99% of other situations. It’s just a bit of a shame that in 2024 you still have dinosaurs who really don’t see the human side of things.”

The peloton, fronted by rider group Cyclistes Professionnels Associes (CPA), wanted the stage to skip the Umbrail Pass, the highest point of this year’s race, and the following descent.

The RCS initially stood firm to that proposal, prompting a stand-off as the riders refused to take to the race start in Livingo, where conditions were already foul.

“I would like to still ride the stage,” O’Connor continued.

“I don’t want to ride over 2500m, it’s already five degrees and pouring rain. At 2500m it’s already snowing.

“So I think it’s clear you should just start a touch lower and do the finish. You still have a race, you still have a final.”

Addressing Giro race director Mauro Vegni, O’Connor added: “I would like to see him in our position, get outside on a bike and do the start of this stage and see what his answer is after those couple of hours.

“I wish he could experience it because then he could have a sense of what it’s actually really like, rather than taking on the climb in his car and say ‘this is great for people to watch’.”

It was later confirmed the race would start on the other side of Umbrail Pass, just beyond Prato dello Stelvio, in Lasa/Laas. The reduced 118km route still included the finale on the Cat.1 Passo Pinei and Cat. 2 Passo di Santa Cristina,

Paolo Bellino, CEO of race organisers RCS, explained his side of the situation.

“Yesterday we all agreed about a protocol to put in place today. Option 1 was to start the race as normal. Option 2 was if the weather was as we expected it was going to be – that’s rain up to the Stelvio and a temperature of 4 or 5 degrees – we could give the riders the opportunity to stop and change before continuing.

“The last option was, if the weather was very bad, that we can change. Today we decided on option 2 at 10am. Then the weather got worse, so we are moving things. But we have an agreement to start from here, then drive through the tunnel and start in Prato dello Stelvio.”

Meanwhile, Vegni said he had to consider multiple parties in any decision to curtail a stage, including the start town of Livingo.

“It’s snowing and we can’t do the Stelvio or Umbrail Pass so we will start after the descent at Prato dello Stelvio,” he said.

“The problem is that the climate on the mountain can change – it can snow and rain, and until the last minute you don’t always know.

“We have already decided with the extreme weather protocol on three options – and this is the third option. I think what we have done is a just compromise – what we want, what the riders want, what Livigno wants.

“We have obligations for them and must keep them happy too.”