[No decision has yet been made on the possibility of omitting the Stelvio pass from the route of stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia, despite reports to that effect in Italian newspapers Friday morning.

The upper part of the 2,758-meter-high pass remains snow-covered, but Cycling News understands that RCS Sport and local authorities intend to wait until closer to the May 21 stage before making a final decision on whether to include Stelvio.

The Giro's Seema Coppi will come in the early stages of stage 16 from Livigno to Santa Cristina Val Gardena.

Videos and photos of the snow-clogged Stelvio have been circulating on social media and in local newspapers for the past month, sparking now-traditional concerns about whether the roads will be passable for the Giro Gruppo on May 21. Bolzano's local council has been working for the past few days to clear the roads of snow.

Olaf Reinstadler, head of the local avalanche committee, told Italian news agency ANSA on Friday that the Giro would not be able to cross the Stelvio due to the risks posed by the snow banks on the side of the road.

"On the Stelvio, the risk of avalanches is too high for the Giro's caravan to cross," Reinstadler said. 'The problem is not the road, but that the slopes above it are still full of snow. With the rise in temperatures over the past few days, the snow banks could collapse suddenly."

RCS Sport declined to issue a formal statement on the matter, but Cycling News understands that a decision on Stelvio will not be made until much closer to the stage, based on developments in weather conditions on the pass and recommendations from local authorities.

As is the case with the Giro's mountain stages, RCS Sport has a number of contingency plans in place in case the weather conditions deteriorate and parts of the route are removed. Stelvio, the highest point of the Giro, was previously removed from the route in 1984, 1988, and 2013 due to conditions on the pass.