One thousand tickets for Zoncolan stage sell out in 12 minutes as Giro d'Italia limits numbers on climb

Ticketing has been introduced for Saturday's stage 14 summit finish to Monte Zoncolan at the Giro d'Italia.

1,000 €10 tickets sold out in just 12 minutes as fans rushed to be among the lucky few able to get the cable car to the summit of the 14km-long, category one climb.

These limitations on spectator numbers have been caused by Covid-19 restrictions, with only 1,000 fans permitted to be in attendance at outdoor venues since July 2020. 

Of course, more than 1,000 fans can be spotted along the route of the Italian Grand Tour each day, but race organisers hope this move will avoid the throngs of spectators usually found on the most popular climbs of Grand Tours, and is an effort to adhere to the rules while also holding the most public of sporting events.

>>> Dan Martin says 'cycling is not worth the risk' after losing six minutes to Egan Bernal on gravel of Giro d'Italia 2021

Determined spectators who missed out on tickets will not be barred from making the journey up the climb by foot or bike, but the severity of the climb with an average gradient of 8.5 per cent will likely put a dent in total numbers on the climb.

At last year's Tour de France, when the French Grand Tour survived skirmishes with coronavirus red zones and somehow arrived on the Champs-Élysées intact, riders appealed to fans lining the climbs to keep their masks on.

"It's definitely an issue," Nicholas Roche said at the time. "I had mixed feelings when I saw the fans on the Peyresourde and started getting goosebumps with the adrenaline again. I was like, 'ah this is the Tour' and next thing straight away I was like, 'no, this cannot be right'."

Dan Martin added: "Obviously all the science says there's not a massive risk as far as us catching it from a roadside fan and even within the peloton, but at the same time, is it really worth the risk?"

After Friday's flat stage 13, Saturday's stage 14 finish atop the Zoncolan will see the GC battle resume, with Ineos Grenadiers' Egan Bernal sitting 45 seconds clear of Astana's Aleksandr Vlasov in the general classification.

A punchy stage 15 then follows before the queen stage on stage 16, featuring two category one climbs and the HC climb of Passo Pordoi.