Plenty of snow at the high elevations during stage 16 (Image credit: Sirotti)
Stage 19 of this year’s Giro d’Italia has been cancelled due to snow.
On Thursday night organisers RCS Sport announced that the peloton would race a modified route in order to avoid the riders racing in the snow and the risk of ice on the descents.
"Due to adverse weather conditions and, in particular, snow on the stage route in its entirety, stage 19 of the Giro d’Italia, from Ponte di Legno to Val Martello/Martelltal, has been cancelled," race officials confirmed in a press release.
The original race route included the Passo Gavia (2618m high), where Andy Hampsten attacked in the snow to set up victory in the 1988 Giro d'Italia, the Passo dello Stelvio (2758m) with the 139km stage finishing at Val Martello.
The modified route of160km was set to start in Ponte di Legno but was then set to race the descends east to Ponte Mostizzolo in order to tackle the Passo Castrin (1706m) and then climb to the original finish at Val Martello (2059m). However even the conditions on the modified route proved too dangerous.
There has not been any word as to whether stage 20, which was also at risk, will go ahead.
More to follow...
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