Ben O'Connor has described the organisers of the Giro d'Italia as "dinosaurs" and the race as "one of the worst organised" after riders forced a change in the route amid miserable weather conditions in the Italian Alps. Even with 80km shaved off the stage it was still slightly too long for the Australian who suffered during a steep finishing climb to lose time in his pursuit of a place on the podium on Sunday. Nothing, however, seems to trouble Tadej Pogacar, who won his fifth stage of the 16 so far contested, racing away from the other general classification contenders in the final kilometres of the summit finish at the Dolomites ski resort of Val Gardena.
That extended his lead to seven minutes, 18 seconds and he seems certain to finish in Rome wearing the maglia rosa. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. Giulio Pellizzari, the last of a breakaway group to keep Pogacar at bay, was second.
The 20-year-old asked Pogacar for his sunglasses at the finish line and the Slovenian gave him his pink jersey too. Dani Martinez came second to move above Geraint Thomas into second place overall. O'Connor had moved to within 51 seconds of Martinez but is now 84 seconds behind the Colombian, though only 62 behind Welshman Thomas whom he finished alongside on Tuesday.
Freezing rain and snow in the Italian Alps meant the stage from Livigno, which had been scheduled to climb to almost 2,500 metres, was changed and delayed. It had been altered .
