Throughout the history of cycling there have always been many tricks to avoid unnecessary efforts or protect yourself from the wind with cars in between, but the television broadcasts and mobile phones of fans, who see everything, had put an end to these irregular practices. However, yesterday there was an exception. During the final stage in the Stelvio of the Giro d’Italia sub-23, several riders clung to the cars and motorcycles of their teams to climb more comfortably.
Undoubtedly, this famous pass, with 20.4 kilometers at an average gradient of 7.4%, is an enormous challenge for cyclists, but these youngsters who pretend to one day be professionals went too far. Of course, they had a punishment that they will not forget, since up to twenty-four runners and four sports directors were disqualified by the organization of the race for climbing a section of the Stelvio clinging to the cars and motorcycles of the teams.
They did not mind doing it in an undisguised way, without taking into account who could observe or record them. But there was an amateur with a mobile phone to immortalize what happened. There are several who, seeing the fan recording, let go and start hitting the pedals to try to hide it. Most of the 24 expelled from the race are Italian.
In addition to the disqualification, the riders have been fined 100 Swiss francs and 25 UCI points. The same for the four team managers. The stage was won by the 21-year-old Dane Johannes Staune-Mittet, from the Jumbo-Visma subsidiary and the new leader of the race that concludes this Sunday.
