It's close to dinnertime in Italy no doubt, which signals the end of the third rest day at the Giro d'Italia. The riders are into their third and final week and tomorrow's stage signals a beast of day. It's going to be the calculated Dumoulin versus the Latin flair of Quintana and Pinot no doubt.
One rider who is unlikely to be at the head of affairs tomorrow is South Africa's own Ryan Gibbons. Ryan will be riding grupetto towards Bormio along with the other sprinters and rouleurs, but that's OK. You see, the lad from Jozi has already made a great impression on this Giro. A half-dozen top ten finishes on the sprint stages is something to proud of, particularly on your first Grand Tour. Ryan even won the overall classification at Le Tour de Langkawi back in February, not a bad way to start off a World Tour career either.
More importantly, though, is his attitude. Ryan was interviewed by Eurosport the other day and you could just see excitement and confidence oozing out of his smiling face. He answered the interviewer's questions in an articulate and insightful way, all with a big smile on his face. And with Milan in sight, Ryan is looking at finishing his first three week stage race with distinction.
So as the sun sets on Bergamo, the riders are probably eating lots. A day of relaxing and easy riding (for some) is drawing to a close. The Italians are no doubt getting ready for their nightly passeggiata with nervous anticipation of Tuesday's marathon stage, just like everybody else. Ryan and co will probably be chatting too, getting their minds ready for the task at hand.
Voerspoed for tomorrow Meneer. It's going to be hard but you'll be fine. Groete aan Vans Snail en Rensburg.
