This argument is the symptom of over-opinionated people who don't have a good grip on facts but still want to defend their egos. There's really no point arguing with these type of people.

Some quotes:

"After the third and longest of those stages — more than eight hours in the saddle for the majority of the field — many riders were angry. French climber Jean Gadret, who’s in the top five overall, said, “That was inhuman.” Italy’s former race winner Danilo Di Luca called it “a monstrosity.” And Australia’s Richie Porte, one of race leader Alberto Contador’s top teammates, wrote on his Twitter account: “That was the hardest day I’ve ever had on a bike. Bloody hurt!”"

"Riders were coming across the finish line in Gardeccia in a daze. Some had been riding more than eight hours. Giro leader Alberto Contador called it “the hardest stage of my life.”"

"Rain started to pelt the peloton on the Fedaia and some wondered if the extreme conditions were really necessary. “It’s too much. You should see the faces of the riders – they’re just dead. Imagine if it had been raining the entire day,” said Garmin-Cervélo sport director Bingen Fernández. “Do we need this? It’s one thing to race eight hours in a classic, but to race eight hours after what we’ve been through in this Giro is too much. A shorter stage would have delivered the same result, probably be more spectacular and it would be more humane.”"