Giro’s Milan finale neutralised for GC after in-race talks with Vingegaard

The flat and fast stage 15 of the Giro d’Italia to Milan was never likely to create differences among the general classification contenders, and the risk was reduced still further in the final hour of racing when it was decided that the clock for the overall standings would stop with 16.3km remaining, at the beginning of the final lap of the finishing circuit.

The stage featured four laps of the circuit around Milan in the finale, and after some deliberation the jury decreed that the finale would be neutralised for the general classification, though the initial decision was to neutralise only the last 5km.

New maglia rosa Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) could be seen in discussions with the race jury after the first lap of the Milan circuit. Shortly afterwards, RAI television’s in-race reporter Stefano Rizzato reported that the race jury and organisation had decided to stop the clock for the overall standings with 5km remaining, at the beginning of the usual safety zone for the stage.

Vingegaard continued discussions with the race jury after the change was announced on RAI television with a little over 40km of the stage remaining. RAI later reported that the decision had been taken to neutralise the entire final lap.

Milan is no stranger to such discussions at the Giro. During the centenary edition of the Giro in 2009, the gruppo staged a go-slow in protest at the condition of the finishing circuit. The speed picked up only for the final lap, with Mark Cavendish sprinting to victory.