When Luca Sinto warms up to a topic, he doesn't answer the question; he talks to himself. If I were more diplomatic, instead of being on a small team, my career might have been different," he says. I'm stubborn and I say what's on my mind."

The topic in question is the request by EF Pro Cycling, which has already been rejected by the UCI, to cancel this weekend's Giro d'Italia unification because of the "danger" of the coronavirus bubble on the Corsa Rosa.

In addition to Simon Yates' positive in the opening week, eight COVID-19 cases were confirmed on the rest day, and two WorldTour teams, Jumbo Visma and Mitchelton Scott, have already left the race EF Pro Cycling has confirmed that infected riders and staff EF Pro Cycling has stated that it will leave the Giro if there are confirmed cases of infection among riders and staff.

Just as the Tour de France is the raison d'être for most World Tour sponsors, the Giro is the most important event on the calendar for the backers of Sint's Vini-Zabu-KTM team. He blamed what he perceived as a double standard on the differing attitudes of some WorldTour teams toward coronavirus protocols in the Giro and Tour de France.

"Some of the Tour teams were always silent and never raised their voices. If they are afraid of COVID, why go to the Vuelta?"

"We are not going to the Vuelta," Sinto said.

"We are in the midst of a tragic moment, not only for cycling, but for humanity. The virus is present and dangerous, but we have to fight it, and if EF doesn't like it, they can leave the Giro and go home.

"I have nothing against them, but I do have a problem with the fact that those who participated in the Giro were already well aware of the problem. I hope that the Vuelta will take place and that the race will go all the way to the end. Otherwise, by 2021 there will be no race at all."

"It's normal to be afraid. But the problem is that at the Tour everyone was quiet, but at the Giro they are giving themselves permission to leave. Mitchelton's situation was different. They have been through many cases and they made the right choice, but if [Primoz] Roglic had come here to win the Giro, Jumbo Visma would have left the race."

Sint confirmed that his Vini-Zabu-KTM team was not informed in advance of EF Pro Cycling's plea to end the Giro this weekend." They certainly don't talk to us. They are a superior team and we are just a small team," said Sint, reiterating his hope that the Giro will continue until its scheduled closing in Milan on October 25.

"Even if there is only one rider left, we will go to Milan. We will stop stage racing.

Scinto's sentiment was echoed forcefully by Gianni Savio of Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec, manager of the Italian wildcard invitees.

"What EF did yesterday was totally ill-timed, unqualified, and utterly shameful," Savio told Tuttovici.

"I feel there was a total lack of respect for the organization and for us. At the very least, we should have talked to the other teams. At the very least, we should have discussed it with the other teams; it is absolutely shameful to make such a request directly to the UCI."

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EF Pro Cycling manager Jonathan Vaughters confirmed that he had not consulted with riders and staff about the Giro before asking the UCI to end the race early. Fabrizio Guidi, EF's chief sportif at the Giro, was pressed into the role of diplomat at the RAI on Friday night.

"We probably overestimated the problem and contacted the UCI a little too quickly. The riders want to go to Milan and continue racing, as does the entire staff." And personally, I don't want to leave the Giro d'Italia because I have given everything to it." He said.

Since receiving EF's letter, the UCI has requested that RCS Sport conduct saliva antigen testing of all riders and staff participating in the Giro Bubble on Thursday and Friday before the next PCR testing on Monday's second rest day.

On Friday, Italy reported 10,010 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

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