The organisers of the Giro d'Italia have decided to cancel the best downhill rider classification. The award was introduced for this year's race.
The head of cycling at RCS Sport Mauro Vegni confirmed the news to Cyclingnews and La Gazzetta dello Sport in Alghero.
Vegni was angry and disappointed by the way the prize was criticised by some riders, and even UCI vice-president Tom Van Damme of Belgium, believing he has always considered rider safety a priority.
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"We simply wanted to create an extra classification and create more interest for the fans. Sadly some people didn't fully understand the idea of the prize and other people used it to kick up a fuss. We've decided to eliminate the classification and the prizes. We'll still time the riders and use the data to inform the fans about the speed of the riders on the descents."
Some riders and fans questioned the wisdom of such a competition in a race that saw the death of a rider on a descent. Wouter Weylandt passed away after crashing heavily on the descent of the Passo del Bocco on stage 3 of the 2011 race. It also comes just days after the death of Chad Young, who died following a crash on a descent during the Tour of the Gila.
Belgian Federation president Van Damme called the idea 'unacceptable' and said that he had asked for it to be banned.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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