The Giro d'Italia was a six-hour race up hills and down valleys in the Cesenatico hinterland.

Despite the glamour of Corsa Rosa, summer was a distant memory. On an afternoon of rain and plummeting temperatures, riders waited for the finish line to appear before them.

By the time they finished the stage by the Marco Pantani Monument, teeth chattering from the cold, news had spread that the entire Giro would be finishing a week closer. EF Pro Cycling's request to do so was promptly rejected by the UCI, but uncertainty remains the keynote of this Giro.

From Dečuninck-Quick Step's Maria Rosa and Joan Almeida to Marianela and Lotto-Soudal's Jonathan Dibben, every rider is competing in a race where the exact location of the finish line is ambiguous. It could be Milan a week from Sunday, or it could be Giro director Mauro Veni's intention.

Two teams, Mitchelton Scott and Jumbo Visma, left the Giro on Tuesday after COVID-19 was confirmed during rest day testing.

In the meantime, bicycle racing is still taking place. Neo-professional Almeida has held the maglia rosa since the Etna summit on stage 3. The Portuguese youngster made another solid defense Thursday afternoon, helped by Fausto Masnada, Mikel Honoré, and James Knox, in conditions made even tougher by NTT Pro Cycling's pacemaking.

He finished alongside his rivals for the overall, maintaining a 34-second lead over Sunweb's Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb).

However, at the post-stage press conference, no one asked if Almeida could carry the jersey to Milan. They just ask if he thinks the Giro will make it to Milan.

"At the moment, I don't think it is very certain that the Giro will make it to Milan," Almeida said. 'Ultimately, I don't think it's up to us. I will just keep doing what I am doing and the teams will keep doing what they are doing. If the Giro stops, the Giro stops. I don't think there is much we can do. I don't know how to put it."

Speaking to RAI television behind the podium half an hour earlier, Almeida struck a similar tone, noting that the bad weather had cast doubt on his ability to ride the entire mountain stage in the final week.

"The situation does not look good. The weather is really bad and we are not in the north yet. Imagine running next week at nearly 2,000 meters elevation," Almeida said.

"In the COVID-19 situation, I think we have to make the wisest decision for everyone. It is not my decision. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing until I can do it. I'm Maria Rosa, so I can't tell her to stop.

"Sure, next week will be a hard week, but it's not my decision. We are fighting for the jersey.

At Cesenatico on Thursday afternoon, stage winner Honatan Narvaez (Ineos), from the Axeon Hagens Berman team led by Axel Merckx, appeared before Almeida at the post-stage press conference. Other stage winners in this Giro were Alex Dowsett and Ruben Guerriero.

Merckx's team is looking for sponsors to continue its activities in 2021, and Almeida, who spent two seasons with the team before joining Detunink-Quickstep this year, reiterated his previous support for the project.

"You can learn everything from that team, both knowledge and way of thinking. Almeida added, "It prepares you very well for the World Tour. I think spending two years with that team was the right step for me." I hope they find a sponsor next year and continue what they have been doing for the last 10 years."

Almeida knows where it all begins. Like the other riders in this Giro, Almeida is not entirely sure where it will all end.