Riders Union heavily criticize "terribly amateurish" Giro d'Italia Donne

With the 2023 Giro d'Italia Donne just days away at this point, alarmingly little is still known about the race. This mystery has concerned The Cyclist Alliance (TCA) so much, the union has given a statement.

"The Giro Donne already doesn't have the best reputation. But this is perhaps the most extreme we've seen," says Iris Sklapdel. "If you hardly know what the course will look like 10 days before the start of your race and whether the race will take place at all, then you are terribly amateurish as an organization."

The race is unlikely to have any TV coverage and some big-name riders, most notably Lotte Kopecky, have recently announced they won't be taking part. “Last year, the Giro Donne published a huge prize pool of 50,000 euros, the same amount as the Tour de France Femmes,” explains Sklapdel. "That was not necessary at all and that prize pool is much higher than the minimum conditions of the UCI."

"Other organizers also want to offer a large prize pool. But first you have to make sure that the basics are in order and that your competition can take place in a safe way," Sklapdel continues. "Whether that is with a prize pool of 30,000 or 10,000 euros, that is not the priority for the riders."