Hi folks,

With stage profiles that look more like an 8 on the Richter scale (see stage 14,15,16 profiles below) the GIRO is really getting down to the business end of proceedings. These epic climbs in the Dolomites burn the legs like crazy, testing the extreme upper limits of riders, there’s no place to hide on days like these!!

The attached images below are from the last few days racing, incl. scenery from the Dolomites (pic 1&2) in Pic 3 Tim races two spots in front of World champ Paolo Bettini as the peleton is strung out on stage 13, a flat stage before the mountains began + a few others as a visual snapshot from stages 11-15, what a place to race!!

They (the riders and commentators) say this years edition of the Giro is right up there with the hardest courses ever!! with two of the three weeks over now, the field is down to 146 from the original 197 starters, testament to this war of attrition.

Tim got an early start on today’s stage 16, in the 1st of 3 groups of 50 riders. Each was followed up the brutal 12.85km mountain time trial course to Plan de Corones just by a motorbike (spare bike draped over the shoulder of the passenger) on a the semi paved ski field road not even wide enough in parts for a car to pass.

Making timecut (normally 20% in addition to the winners time, graciously increased to 25% by the tour organisers today) was the main objective for Tim today. A stage, much like the two previous days, that benefited the characteristics of the weedy little climbers in the peleton, like the 55kg midget Emanuele Sella who took both of those. It was a close call, but he did it!!…. with a huge effort, so much so, that after his ski lift ride back to the bottom of the col, and transit to the team’s hotel, he couldn’t even get to sleep because his legs hurt so much!! its as he said, “just wrong”

Tomorrow is the second well deserved rest day of the Giro, Tim will endeavour to get near a computer tomorrow for another update from inside this great race…… so until then

Caio (brother Kyle online)