"Hold the organisation accountable" - Giro d'Italia crash fury continues as Thijs Zonneveld blasts organisers after Stage 6 finish

The fallout from the chaotic crash-marred finish to Stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia rages on after a u-shaped bend inside the final kilometer saw Dylan Groenewegen and others go down, and with it some pre-stage favourites such as Jonathan Milan's chances of victory.

As the stage began, many commentators and riders warned a combination of wet weather, a cobbled street finish and a sever bend could make for a nervous finale. Unfortunately those fears came to be as Groenewegen's crash near the front led to a reduced field in contention for victory in the final 300 meters - eventually won by Davide Ballerini.

The crash meant that two of the three Giro mass sprint finishes so far have been impeded by crashes in the fight for victory. With Thursday's crash sparking furious comments from Jonathan Milan about the technical and cobbled nature of the finale, journalist Thijs Zonneveld has also weighed in.

Speaking on his In De Waaier podcast, Zonneveld appeared to sarcastically react to the situation claiming that organisers should blame the riders: "Then they would have been inside before the rain started. Then it’s the riders’ fault again, isn’t it? The Giro organisers should file a round of complaints against the riders. They don’t have that one finish photo of a sprinting peloton. And now what?"

He continued: "You really couldn’t have known this. That it would be slippery exactly there, that you would go down on your head there. It was impossible to predict. It is very strange what happened. The organization is absolutely blameless."

However, taking a more serious stance on the crash, Zonneveld turned his attention to Giro race organisation and the UCI, questioning why the finish was allowed and not adjusted.

"You can't explain this to people who don't watch cycling regularly, can you? That you know in advance that they are all going to crash here, and that it actually happens? And the UCI keeps pulling Jan-Willem van Schip out of the race, and fines are being handed out left and right when your socks are pulled up too high".

He added: "These are the f*****g basics. How can it possibly be true that this finish isn't being adjusted?"

Amid safety concerns, Zonneveld is realistic in his assessment of whether teams are in a position to demand changes to finishes. Using the example of Unibet Rose Rockets, he noted that the team may be unwilling to not use one of their few chances for victory in what is their first grand tour.

"It is too easy to say: then don't race. Suppose the Rockets and Groenewegen say: we're not doing it. It is one of the best chances they have, they came to Italy for this. Should you then give up one of your four chances?," he added.

"They [organisers] place the responsibility entirely on the riders and the teams. What I would applaud most is for teams to hold the organisation accountable. If the UCI doesn't do it, then they have to.'