Even though we saw a lot of rain in Italy, a lot, there were sunny breaks as well for us and for the rider of the Giro d’Italia, second only to the Tour de France among bike races. We arrived in Porto Recanati five hours before the bikes and got to drive down their entrance route- quite a thrill in itself as the route was already being festooned with pink banners and road markers. But once we had a run through the booths and shops, sat on the beach and had some seafood, we staked out a spot where we could get a good view of the live animal that is the peloton. Only I didn’t have a clue what blinding whir it would be. Helicopter crews, sirens and horns alerted us to its arrival and I started shooting, but before I could take a deep breath they were gone, only the sounds of spinning tires and electric colours stayed with me for a few minutes after their passing- a long wait, a fast rush by, but worth every second of it- 45 minutes later they looped by again for more of the same. The second rider in this pack is Basso who finally came out on top to claim the Giro. One very happy Italian.