Even before the finish of stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia in Naples, riders expressed concern about the design of the final kilometres. Rather than find a straight approach, the organisers chose a cobbled road with a 180-degree bend into the hilltop Piazza del Plebiscito.
As feared, a light rain began to fall just as the peloton approached the finish, and the combination of uneven cobbles and rain resulted in a mass crash.
"I don't want to say that it really looks super dangerous already. I mean, if it rains, of course, it's not going to be funny, but I think Napoli is always known as a tricky run into the city," Soudal-QuickStep rider Jasper Stuyven said one day before finishing second to XDS-Astana's Davide Ballerini n Naples.
Unibet Rose Rockets were in the lead at the 180-degree corner, leading out Dylan Groenewegen, when the Dutchman's final man, Elmar Reinders, hit a hole and slid out. Groenewegen fell at the same spot milliseconds later, setting off a chain-reaction crash.
"It was a bit slippery. We did an amazing job we crashed - it can happen in a sprint. It was really slippery, and that's what happens," Groenewegen said, adding that the fall has made his shoulder a bit stiff.
"We were in the right position again to go for victory but sometimes you have bad luck."
Behind them, a touch of brakes in reaction to the crash caused more riders to fall, including Tobias Lund Andresen, Orluis Aular, a rider from UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Astana's sprinter for the day, Matteo Malucelli.
Lead-out men Ballerini and Stuyven were the only ones who managed to avoid the wreck to finish one-two on the stage.
Four-time Giro stage winner Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), a sprint favourite at this race, finished 107th after getting caught in the carnage. He was far from happy after the stage.
"It's just painful," Milan said of the incident, taking away another opportunity to gain points or win a stage. "It's even more painful to see riders crashing in front of you."
The Italian didn't mince his words when asked about the choice of roads for the finale.
"I really don't get why we have to try to find this complicated finish - I really don't get it," Milan told Eurosport.
"You know for sure, we could think that it would rain, and maybe to be safe, like some years ago, we could just go straight. But no, with two drops of water, we create a huge mess.
"Luckily, I didn't crash. I was able to stand on my bike, but they fully, completely crashed in front of me. I mean, it's not their fault. We know that it could be super slippery.
"I'm just a bit disappointed, because I was in a good position, having good shape, and feeling good. But yeah, we have to try to look for these things now for a bit of hype - I really don't get it."
The Italian now lies 66 points behind maglia ciclamino rival Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep), who pulled off some amazing on-the-bike acrobatics to remain upright, even if he had to slam on the brakes. The French phenom still took third on the stage.
"I think I could have gotten a better result if not for that crash," Magnier said. "The whole team worked hard and Jasper put me in a perfect position, but sadly, it was impossible to avoid that pile-up. I was still able to sprint and take third, but there's some frustration after today's outcome.
"On the other hand, I'm happy with the fact I cemented my place at the top of the points classification."
Elsewhere, German sprinter Pascal Ackermann (Jayco-AlUla) added his voice to the chorus of disapproval, saying that the Giro organisers got what they wanted.
"It’s 70 to 30 that we won’t make it. We’ve all been wondering if this is really necessary. But the spectacle is back. You saw us crash," he told German Eurosport.
Aular, meanwhile, was pushed to the line by his teammate Ivan Garcia Cortina. He later told Eurosport he was OK.
"I wasn't badly hurt. It's a shame because we were in a good position. I tried to keep a bit of a gap. Then I wanted to try it. But the cobblestones didn't allow it. It was simply the braking on the wet pavement that caused the crash," Aular said.
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