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Giro d'Italia introduces Best Descender contest - but will it encourage riders to take too many risks?

Riders will reportedly be timed on 10 segments during this months race, with competition winner declared in Milan

This year’s 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia will feature a competition for the best descender -prompting social media users to ask whether it might put riders in danger by encouraging them to take risks.

Blogger Inner Ring posted brief details of the competition to Twitter, later clarifying the source as the rule book for the race, which starts on Sardinia this Friday.

The competition is a new one for 2017, and the financial prizes on offer said to be smaller than those for the main classifications.

However, several people on Twitter have suggested it is irresponsible to offer prizes at all for the fastest descent, given the death of Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt in a crash on the race in 2011 and, just last week, Chad Young dying from injuries sustained at the Tour of the Gila in the US.

> Chad Young dies in hospital five days after horror crash

Leopard-Trek rider Weylandt, aged 26 and winner of a Giro d’Italia stage in 2010, died instantly when he crashed into a wall on a descent during Stage 3 of the 2011 race from Reggio Emilia to Rappallo.

The following day saw one of the most emotional stages ever in the Giro’s history with racing neutralised and teams taking it in turn to lead the peloton until finally the Belgian’s Leopard Trek team mates, plus his close friend Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Cervelo, crossed the line in Livorno arm in arm as one.

> Peloton honours Wouter Weylandt, Leopard Trek pull out of Giro after poignant tribute

Despite his death, and those of other riders killed after crashing while descending, including Motorola’s Fabio Casartelli  in the Pyrenees during the 1995 Tour de France, there have long been calls for organisers of races to offer a descender’s jersey as well as one for the best climber.

The argument goes that it takes a lot more skill to descend rapidly than it does to climb; similarly, there is a school of thought that there should be some kind of combined mountains jersey that takes account of both the ascent and the downhill section – although that would favour climbers given there would be no descent after a summit finish.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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16 comments

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mikeyboy247 | 7 years ago
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Descending is a cycling skill!,just as much as climbing or Time Trialling, some have it others dont, I cant climb so I dont go for the climbing prize, But I can sprint and I can descend so I would go for it!.

 

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Jharrison5 | 7 years ago
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If you're riding the Giro, the chances are you're experienced.

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Pub bike | 7 years ago
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This is dependent on rider behaviour.

If as an experienced rider you know you can safely do a hairpin so long as you hit the apex at <33 km/h, which you've done for years, are you going to try going faster to get the prize?

As an inexperienced rider would you risk trying to corner faster knowing that there are much better riders out there?

Only if the answer to both questions is no is there the same risk as exists today.  It is going to be a big temptation though.

The inexperienced rider could hope to get the prize (safely) by heroic acceleration and braking attempts but risks overall performance.

Perhaps we will see the same riders winning the prize over and over again.

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Martyn_K | 7 years ago
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Don't see anything wrong with a descending competition as long as the organisers take adequate precautions.

Any particularly dodgy descents should not included. Any singular bad corners should have warning signs and safety equipment if needed (a couple of high speed corners in Rio had catch netting).

Obviously any bad weather should also mean a timed descent is also scrapped so the riders just have to get down the hill safely. 

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BehindTheBikesheds | 7 years ago
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Double post

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BehindTheBikesheds | 7 years ago
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Take the helmets off and let's see how that focusses the mind, little wonder modern day competitive cyclists crash more often when they think they're protected.
Despite helmets pros dying/getting injured at a greater rate than before compulsion...wonder if that's because they're taking far more risks or simply less capable even on better machines/tyres/brakes. Which is it?
It's a cack idea

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Jharrison5 | 7 years ago
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Sprinters have a jersey. They never crash.

Pirelli don't make bicycle tyres. Sponsoring this prize just highlights that.

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madcarew | 7 years ago
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There seems to be some kind of misguided idea that only poor descenders are at risk of crashing horribly if they chase the prize. That really makes no sense. It really is just as dangerous (arguably more dangerous outcomes) for good descenders as poor descenders. I'm a bit on the fence. I don't think it's a great idea, but as someone else has pointed out, plenty of stage finishes are already at the bottom of a descent, which encourages hell for leather descending (Froome last year, TdF). I suspect those in greatest danger are the pros in their first few years; Those that haven't yet seen enough carnage to temper their ambitions. I know several ex-pro tour riders, and to a man they are horrified by the risks taken by the neo-pros: in sprints, mid race, training, any where.

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Chris Hayes | 7 years ago
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Descending is a skill, as the likes of Savoldelli (whose Finestre descent enabled him to retain the slipping 2005 Giro lead from Gilberto Simoni); so why not reward this skill?

The comments on how dangerous this is are, I think,  misplaced.  The award of a jersey for descending won't incentivise poor descenders to take risks any more that the climbers jersey incentivises non-climbers to blow up trying to keep up with mountain goats... 

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dottigirl | 7 years ago
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I wouldn't be surprised if this generated a surprise winner - someone from the gruppetto, rather than the front of the race.

I've heard some intriguing stories about what the gruppetto gets up to - would love to see some more coverage of them.

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davsear | 7 years ago
4 likes

Great idea! Road cycling has become far to focused on who can cycle up a hill the fastest so I think it's good to see more competition in other areas of the race. Yes descending can be dangerous but it is not exactly a new concept to time cycling down hill, go watch a world cup DH race…

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twinklydave | 7 years ago
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The way people are taking it's a miracle all the descents haven't been neutralised (hello Andy Schleck...) or taken out completely with riders piling into the team bus at the top of every climb.

Good descenders have used it to their advantage for years, it's been a racing tactic for as long as there's been people racing bikes to open gaps / close down breakaways on the downhills. As mentioned above, it's unlikely someone who knows descending is not their forte is going to risk messing everything up for a much smaller prize...but it would be interesting to know.

 

 

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Yorkshire wallet | 7 years ago
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But somebody will be the fastest descender, regardless of whether anyone is 'going for it' or not. Chances are it'll just be same people who are good at it getting it rather than someone who's not known for it but suddenly will risk all for £5 and a bag of maltesers. 

Does make you wonder what next though? Telemetry to set up a fastest corner speed, the highest Gs in corners and braking awards

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GarethWyn | 7 years ago
1 like

Sounds like an awful idea. I'm in!

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Chris Hayes | 7 years ago
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The Paolo Savoldelli Prize.....

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Jackson | 7 years ago
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On the face of it it does sound like a stupid idea to incentivise descending, especially after Wouter Weylandt and more recently the awful tragedy at the Gila. But there are already far more prestigious prizes on the bottom of descents, for example an actual Giro stage win, Milan-San Remo or a Rio Olympic gold medal. How much more would they really be incentivising it? On balance I'd say it's probably not a great idea. 

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