"We did it then because we had no alternative" - Adam Hansen defends riders after criticism following vote on shortened stage 13

The decision made by riders to cast a vote and get the 13th stage of the 2023 Giro d'Italia shortened due to bad weather has been criticised in some quarters. Adam Hansen, the chairman of the cyclist's union, the CPA has now defended the move.

"I will speak out and defend the riders for the dry roads," the former Giro d'Italia stage winner said in a post on his official Twitter account. "First, we were told stage 10 we could not negotiate just before the start when the weather is most accurate. 20 guys went home in a 24-hour period."

That predicted bad weather never really materialised on the stage however, drawing criticism from some. "We were told we can not negotiate days in advance because the weather can change. So we did it the day before, and the prediction was much worse," Hansen continues. "We did it then because we had no alternative. We also agreed to stick to it."

Although the general classification battle also never materialised, there still was some excitement on the stage as Einer Rubio took a breakaway victory, surviving multiple attacks and counter-attacks by both Jefferson Alexander Cepeda and Thibaut Pinot.