Bradley Wiggins: Loss of Galibier summit finish may damage Giro chances

Col du Galibier in stage 15 of 2013 Giro d'Italia

Bradley Wiggins has identified a potential course re-route eliminating the Col du Galibier from the Giro d'Italia as a "danger" to his pink jersey campaign.

Wiggins is banking on the high mountain stages, and long summit finishes, of this year's race to work in his favour as Sky continues to try and limit its losses and make-up time on current pink jersey Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).

One of those is Sunday's 149km slog that features the Galibier summit finish, which reportedly may be avoided because of snow.

"The danger now is I heard maybe some of those bigger climbs won't be passable if the weather stays as it is," Wiggins told journalists at the first rest day on Monday. "If we lose one or two days like that it could play into other people's hands better than ours."

RCS Sport managing director Michele Acquarone told Cycling Weekly today that no decisions would be made before Friday evening.

"Yesterday it was still under control," he said. "The next update is tomorrow evening, then daily updates."

Sky's Rigoberto Uran won stage 10 at Montasio today, which doubled as the first summit finish of the Giro. Uran is now third overall, two minutes and four seconds behind Nibali, who has a 41 second buffer over Cadel Evans (BMC).

Wiggins is fourth overall, one second down on his teammate ahead of the 11th stage.

Twitter: @SophieSmith86

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Giro's Galibier stage finish in doubt due to snow

 

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Contributor

Sophie Smith is an Australian journalist, broadcaster and author of Pain & Privilege: Inside Le Tour. She follows the WorldTour circuit, working for British, Australian and US press, and has covered 10 Tours de France.