We've understood one thing: in case of rain, even just a few drops, they won't race in the South anymore. Only in sunshine. The massive crash (with Hindley's support rider withdrawing) 70 kilometers from the finish line leads to the most drastic decisions: everyone goes on a little trip to the finish line and only the sprint is saved, no general classification, to avoid throwing away months of organizational (and financial) effort. The spectacle of cycling, the competition, the race? All suspended until further notice, but obviously with the certainty of sunshine, dryness, and tranquility. Like golf.

Of course, one feels a bit of a bastard making this sarcasm, but it must be said: rain has always terribly complicated the roads of the South, world-famous for their extremely smooth asphalt and even more slippery stone slabs. It's so well-known that minimal technical precautions would be advisable, the first being soft-belly tires that guarantee more grip. These are grandmother's remedies, but apparently in modern cycling of dietitians and watts, these old-fashioned methods are no longer considered.

And so, here we go with the rumba: a bit of rain, nothing major, asphalt as usual, complicated by salt spray, Hindley brakes instinctively, hordes of colleagues fall in a chain reaction. Following the usual script: discussions, consultations, assemblies, road blockade. Until the Christian Democrat-style decision: we'll save a semblance of a stage, basically create a fiction, whoever wants can sprint, but it's understood that the classification remains untouched and those who don't want to risk can arrive at the finish line leisurely.

Right or wrong? Right or wrong, it's a day to forget. I'm sorry for Naples, which always puts its heart (and money) into it like no other Italian metropolis to carve out a place in the Giro. Certainly, the discussion about safety remains sacred, who denies it, but we shouldn't hide the reality: at this rate, it will no longer be possible to race in the South when it rains. The South is like this, the roads of the South are like this. And so: just like in MotoGP, which when it rains completely disrupts the show and predictably presents even eccentric results, cycling could accept this bizarre situation and adapt. We must have the courage to say that cycling is not just about going 70 km/h, aerodynamics, 68-tooth chainrings, 150 mini-pedals, but also about slowing down, braking well, taking the right risks and ultimately losing out of fear. Is this no longer contemplated? And crashes: aren't they expected anymore?

I ask for a friend. While waiting for an answer (perhaps from the Riders' Association, which in this specific case shines for its brilliant absence), I would dutifully like to point out the true winner of Naples: Stefano Garzelli. An authentic revelation of the Giro, finally placed in the right position as a second technical voice alongside Pancani, on the day of chaos he explains and takes a stance with brilliance and clarity, a ten out of ten. Garzelli is Rai's great surprise of the 2025 edition. Congratulations to those who thought of him. A very low vote goes to those who thought of the Unbearables of the Process.