We have no Giro coverage here in sheep shagger land either The best I can manage is a minute or two summary on the Eurosport news package each morning. The NZ satellite TV sports channels show all the TdF stages live, and have shown highlights of the classics this year, but no Giro or Vuelta. This months TV guide has no highlights at all for the Giro that I can find.

I tried writing angry letters, but the media just don't give a **** about anything but rugby, cricket, league and netball unless it involves drugs, medals, or drunken falling about. Over 10,000 riders do round Taupo each year and do the newspapers send anyone to take pics or write a column about it? Nothing. There have been a couple of TV highlights packages done on occasion, but they focus on the elite riders and not the Joe Average riders pouring their sweat out onto the road as the culmination of their year's training.