Giro d'Italia introduces Best Descender contest - but will it encourage riders to take too many risks?

Descending is a cycling skill!,just as much as climbing or Time Trialling, some have it others dont, I cant climb so I dont go for the climbing prize, But I can sprint and I can descend so I would go for it!.

If you're riding the Giro, the chances are you're experienced.

This is dependent on rider behaviour.

If as an experienced rider you know you can safely do a hairpin so long as you hit the apex at <33 km/h, which you've done for years, are you going to try going faster to get the prize?

As an inexperienced rider would you risk trying to corner faster knowing that there are much better riders out there?

Only if the answer to both questions is no is there the same risk as exists today.  It is going to be a big temptation though.

The inexperienced rider could hope to get the prize (safely) by heroic acceleration and braking attempts but risks overall performance.

Perhaps we will see the same riders winning the prize over and over again.

Don't see anything wrong with a descending competition as long as the organisers take adequate precautions.

Any particularly dodgy descents should not included. Any singular bad corners should have warning signs and safety equipment if needed (a couple of high speed corners in Rio had catch netting).

Obviously any bad weather should also mean a timed descent is also scrapped so the riders just have to get down the hill safely. 

Double post

Take the helmets off and let's see how that focusses the mind, little wonder modern day competitive cyclists crash more often when they think they're protected.
Despite helmets pros dying/getting injured at a greater rate than before compulsion...wonder if that's because they're taking far more risks or simply less capable even on better machines/tyres/brakes. Which is it?
It's a cack idea

Sprinters have a jersey. They never crash.

Pirelli don't make bicycle tyres. Sponsoring this prize just highlights that.

There seems to be some kind of misguided idea that only poor descenders are at risk of crashing horribly if they chase the prize. That really makes no sense. It really is just as dangerous (arguably more dangerous outcomes) for good descenders as poor descenders. I'm a bit on the fence. I don't think it's a great idea, but as someone else has pointed out, plenty of stage finishes are already at the bottom of a descent, which encourages hell for leather descending (Froome last year, TdF). I suspect those in greatest danger are the pros in their first few years; Those that haven't yet seen enough carnage to temper their ambitions. I know several ex-pro tour riders, and to a man they are horrified by the risks taken by the neo-pros: in sprints, mid race, training, any where.

Descending is a skill, as the likes of Savoldelli (whose Finestre descent enabled him to retain the slipping 2005 Giro lead from Gilberto Simoni); so why not reward this skill?

The comments on how dangerous this is are, I think,  misplaced.  The award of a jersey for descending won't incentivise poor descenders to take risks any more that the climbers jersey incentivises non-climbers to blow up trying to keep up with mountain goats... 

I wouldn't be surprised if this generated a surprise winner - someone from the gruppetto, rather than the front of the race.

I've heard some intriguing stories about what the gruppetto gets up to - would love to see some more coverage of them.

Great idea! Road cycling has become far to focused on who can cycle up a hill the fastest so I think it's good to see more competition in other areas of the race. Yes descending can be dangerous but it is not exactly a new concept to time cycling down hill, go watch a world cup DH race…

The way people are taking it's a miracle all the descents haven't been neutralised (hello Andy Schleck...) or taken out completely with riders piling into the team bus at the top of every climb.

Good descenders have used it to their advantage for years, it's been a racing tactic for as long as there's been people racing bikes to open gaps / close down breakaways on the downhills. As mentioned above, it's unlikely someone who knows descending is not their forte is going to risk messing everything up for a much smaller prize...but it would be interesting to know.

But somebody will be the fastest descender, regardless of whether anyone is 'going for it' or not. Chances are it'll just be same people who are good at it getting it rather than someone who's not known for it but suddenly will risk all for £5 and a bag of maltesers. 

Does make you wonder what next though? Telemetry to set up a fastest corner speed, the highest Gs in corners and braking awards

Sounds like an awful idea. I'm in!

The Paolo Savoldelli Prize.....

On the face of it it does sound like a stupid idea to incentivise descending, especially after Wouter Weylandt and more recently the awful tragedy at the Gila. But there are already far more prestigious prizes on the bottom of descents, for example an actual Giro stage win, Milan-San Remo or a Rio Olympic gold medal. How much more would they really be incentivising it? On balance I'd say it's probably not a great idea.