Seconds after Primoš Roglic crossed the finish line in Sassotet, a new race began among the Tirreno-Adriatico racers: not to fight for every second, not for the glory of a prestigious stage victory, but to fight against the cold, against the risk of illness, It was a struggle against the cold, against the risk of illness, and against the pain of running 166.6 km in harsh weather conditions.

To avoid bad weather at the summit, the finish was 2 km down the mountain. The finish, however, turned out to be a narrow rocky gully. A fierce westerly wind blew over the top of the Apennines, sending wind from the gully to the racers as they fought for the final sprint.

"The race was really on and off, the wind was blowing down from the mountains," said Tao Geoghegan Hart.

The wind made the climb up the Sassottet more difficult than the gradient, with racers huddling together like penguins to survive in the headwind. Only Damiano Caruso dared to attack alone, opting for a short tailwind section.

The race exploded in the last 1.5 km, with Enric Mas (Movistar) breaking away from the wind. Enric Mas (Movistar) had broken wind and jumped out of the race. The others tried their best to get out of the way, but were blown away. Primoz Roglic timed his run perfectly again to win by a bike length over Ciccone and Geoghegan Hart at the last minute.

As soon as he crossed the line, the second race began. Roglic was taken to a warm room in a nearby concrete building that doubled as a covered podium.

Everyone else had to fend for themselves on the road beyond the finish area. As the sun set on the other side of the mountain, the area was dark, cold due to the wind and elevation of 1,286 m, and wet due to the rain that accompanied the gusting winds; after 12.5 km of climbing through the wind and rain, the athletes had to descend the same road in cold blood.

The racers stopped about 50 meters from the finish line, and the soigneurs raised their hands to guide the racers to either side of the path, chasing after those they had missed.

It was truly an apocalyptic scene; the riders were tired, wet, and dirty from the hard stage and mountain finish.

They were hot and sweaty after going deep into the climb, but knew full well that they would have to change quickly and bandage up for the descent to the team bus, which was parked at the base of the 12.5km climb.

There was an option to take the team car, but the evacuation from the finish would not begin until after the last rider had finished the stage. Better to get there early, hold on to the heat in your body, and take a shower in the team bus before the hot water ran out.

Tao Geoghegan Hart shivered as he undressed, but the cool mountain air dried him off in seconds. With the help of Ineos's Soignier, he donned an insulating under layer, a clean jersey, jacket, leg warmers, and thick gloves as he descended the mountain. He was interviewed by Cycling News while changing clothes, but as expected, he was in no mood to hang around.

He left before several of his teammates reached the finish line, passing other riders and gruppets as he descended.

Tom Pidcock arrived soon after. Tom Pidcock was trying to stay with the group as long as possible. Perhaps to test his form, but also to keep his body warm on the climb and to keep it warm on the descent.

Mathieu van der Pol did the same, falling with six kilometers to go. The Dutch rider was accustomed to the cold in cyclocross and did not seem to be suffering. I put on a jacket, wrapped a towel around my neck, and headed downhill with my feet exposed to the cold. A true hard rider.

Julian Alaphilippe also rode with the group as long as he could. At one point he was nearly knocked down by a gust of wind, but he held on and rode hard all the way to the finish.

He seemed content to race in the tough conditions, showing that the Frenchman is once again regaining his vigor and morale.

"It was a great stage," he said. "The wind was strong, especially on the last climb. It was a little dangerous at times, but in the end it worked out."

Toms Skujiņš (Trek-Segafredo) finished in 56th place after riding to help Ciccone during the stage. He climbed at a steady pace all the way to the finish, well ahead of the other riders and the two big gruppets who arrived after 22:33 and 23:15 minutes.

"Not extreme weather. It was -26 degrees in Latvia this morning. This is nothing. It's not even snowing. I joked to Cycling News.

"To race, you need a strong mind every day, but especially on a day like today, it makes a difference," he added, emphasizing the true strength of all professional riders.