Yesterday's stage at the Magnificent Tour of Qinghai was a stage from hell, one of those that risks staying with you for the rest of your life and that certainly harks back to a cycling era that no longer exists. Over the 136 km from Guide to Gonghe it rained from start to finish, but above all there was a cold worthy of the harshest winters. At the finish line we celebrated Christian di Bagatin's feat, but in the aftermath a literal count of survivors took place.

The numbers are chilling: yesterday alone, 30 riders abandoned the Chinese race, to which we must add the two athletes who didn't even start. 21 of them failed to reach the finish line, throwing in the towel amid the cold and rain and with extreme logistical difficulties being recovered by their teams. Eight potential survivors had it even worse—they gritted their teeth to make it to the end, but once they crossed the finish line they received bad news: outside the time limit. There was no mercy for anyone, despite atmospheric conditions pushed to the extreme, no extension of the time limit, no concessions whatsoever.

The jury, led by Wayne Pomario, was particularly uncompromising again today and delivered an almost merciless bulletin. Five riders were penalized for exploiting the slipstream of the team cars too much, one unauthorized refueling, and above all the disqualification of Jon Agirre for holding onto the team car. The Spanish rider from Team Euskaltel had been leading the mountains classification for several days, but his Chinese adventure ended in the worst possible way. He's certainly not the only one, as two other athletes were excluded for the same reason yesterday, not to mention those from previous stages.

The jury's decisions certainly sparked considerable debate, such as the decision to penalize Team Shenzhen Gineyea Xidesheng by excluding their team car from the race, leaving their athletes without any assistance whatsoever. During the fifth stage there was also talk of neutralizing the stage, but given the logistical difficulties it would have only unnecessarily compounded the problem. Turn a blind eye or strictly enforce the rules? The question is fair, but the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai is literally losing more and more riders. After yesterday's stage, 97 riders remained in the race, many of whom will certainly suffer lingering effects from the extreme cold. Among the participating teams, Team Bardiani CSF 7 Saber is the only one with all its athletes intact, while Team Shenzhen Gineyea has literally abandoned the race. Team Terengganu has only two riders left, as does Team 7eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines, which in recent days has had to deal with several disqualifications. China Anta Mentech Cycling Team will have only three riders including Alexander Konychev, and the same applies to Team Fnix Scom Hengxiang. An even worse fate befalls Riccardo Lucca, who is literally the sole survivor of Quick Pro Team.

Today's weather is certainly not clement, and facing a 233 km stage there is a risk of witnessing yet another bloodbath. How many worthy warriors will manage to reach the finish line unscathed?