No decision has yet been taken on the possible omission of the Passo dello Stelvio from the route of stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia, despite reports to that effect in the Italian press on Friday morning.
The upper reaches of the 2,758-metre pass remain banked with snow, but Cyclingnews understands that RCS Sport and local authorities will wait until closer to the stage on May 21 before making a final call on the Stelvio’s inclusion.
The Cima Coppi of the Giro comes early on stage 16 from Livigno to Santa Cristina Val Gardena, a 200km leg that also includes the ascent of the Passo Pinei and the final haul to the finish at Monte Pana.
Videos and photographs of a snowbound Stelvio have been circulating since last month on social media and in local newspaper reports, sparking the by-now traditional concerns over whether the road would be passable for the Giro gruppo on May 21. The local council in Bolzano has been working to clear the road of snow in recent days.
Olaf Reinstadler, head of the local avalanche commission, told Italian news agency ANSA on Friday that the Giro would be unable to cross the Stelvio due to the risks posed by the banks of snow on the roadside.
“On the Stelvio, the danger of avalanches is too high for the Giro caravan to cross it,” Reinstadler said. “The problem isn’t the road, but the fact that the slopes above it are still full of snow. With the rising temperatures in these days, there could be sudden breaks in the banks of snow.”
RCS Sport declined to issue a formal statement on the matter, but Cyclingnews understands that a decision on the Stelvio will not be made until much closer the stage, based on the development of weather conditions on the pass and on the recommendations of local authorities.
As is the case for every mountain stage at the Giro, RCS Sport has a number of contingency plans in place in the event of weather conditions forcing the removal of part of the route. The Stelvio, the highest point on this Giro, has previously been excised from the route due to conditions on the pass in 1984, 1988 and 2013.
