Giro half-stages out of program

The 2006 Giro d'Italia will very probably not end with two half-stages on the last day, May 28, as had been planned and announced at the official presentation in Milan on November 12, 2005. After many complaints of the riders and its representative union, the AIGCP, Giro d'Italia organiser RCS director Angelo Zomegnan said that a regular, full stage between the Ghisallo and Milano would replace the time trial up the famous mountain, scheduled in the morning, and the last stage, which was planned to take place in he afternoon.

"[UCI] regulations do not hinder us to program two half-stages on the last day," Zomegnan said on Friday, March 17. "Nevertheless, we talked to the riders and took note of the problems TV had with the time trial in the morning. We don't want to put any further pressure neither on the riders nor on [Italian host broadcaster] RAI."

Meanwhile, discussions between the AIGCP and RCS have not ended, reported German Radsportnews. The rider's union has criticized the organiser's plans to make the riders' transfer from Belgium to Italy, taking place after the three first stages of the Grand Tour, by night train and not by plane. "We will make a decision on that by the end of the month," commented Zomegnan.