Mutiny was the last headache missing from the pandemic Giro d'Italia, which begins and ends in October, as never before.
On a day of 'break', which is also the last chance for the jet-men, the protest of a part, it is not clear how consistent, of the runners who, in the face of a temperature of 11 degrees and rain - what never heard - they gave up.
And to say that even more difficult undertakings have been completed in their respective careers, especially in those competitions where perhaps the stimuli are more tangible: as in the classics of Northern Europe, which generally take place in early spring and where temperatures are anything but myths.
Other than 11 degrees.
The length of the route, initially (but has never been a mystery) of over 250 kilometers, perhaps the fatigue suffered in yesterday's stage, with the climb of the Stelvio and the arrival at the Cancano Lakes (the runner's life is very hard , but in recent years the wages - although not all - have soared to be compared to those of many footballers), convinced a group of runners to resort to the most classic of mutinies, which infuriated the race director, Mauro Vegni.
A farce took place, to keep faith with the economic commitments made with the municipal administration of Morbegno, and a walk that ended after 11 kilometers;
the riders then boarded the coaches of their respective teams and were taken to the new starting point, set in Abbiategrasso, not in Vigevano, as expected at first.
A full-blown fool, of which this troubled, complicated and pandemic-marked Giro d'Italia - although not too much, fortunately - would have gladly done without.
The stage on the new route was a 124-kilometer walk and only the arrival in Asti was confirmed.
"Let's close this Giro, then someone will pay for it", the invective of Vegni, who has always made prudence and respect for the riders his main peculiarities, as confirmed by certain decisions taken in recent years.
What should the riders who climbed the Gavia in 1988, in the terrible stage won by Dutch Erik Breukink and in the Giro dominated by Andrew Hampsten, have said?
That day the caravan passed over 2,600 meters up the mountain in the midst of the blizzard and many closed down in the grip of frostbite.
The mutiny in Morbegno overshadows the victory by detachment of the Czech Josef Cerny, who toasted in Asti, especially mocking the Belgian pistard Victor Campenaerts and making people forget for a day the fight at the top for the pink jersey, which remained glued to the Wilco Kelderman's shoulders: the Dutchman kept the lead of 12 "over the Australian Jai Hindley, second, and the English Tao Geoghegan Hart, third just 15".
Tomorrow we start again, and we could even finish, since most of the Giro d'Italia will be decided: triple ascent to Sestiere, not Colle dell'Agnello and not even Izoard, as expected.
The riders, or at least a part of them, will be happier