Cogne appears to be famous for iron ore, cross-country skiing and child murder. So let’s talk about the cycling for a change. There was a general truce in the GC after yesterday’s fireworks, except for Guillaume Martin who seems to specialise in losing a few minutes or gaining a few minutes on alternate days. But the outstanding performance was the highly emotional win by Giulio Ciccone for Trek, having been set free from 10 days of nursing the pink jersey. He was the 3rd Italian stage winner in 5 days and his multiple attacks did for everyone else on the 20+ km drag to the finish. The highest placed of any of our team selections was Santiago Buitrago for Yo Adrian, but Hugh Carthy’s splendid 4th place (for Stephen, David and myself) meant that Team Ciclominaccia took the points honours, and another significant leap in the Green Wight Red standings:

Either of Guillaume Martin or Giulio Ciccone would have deserved the Combativity award, but for the second day in a row it was the stage winner who scooped it, as Richard Carapaz had on Saturday. The Thin Fat Boys are still way out ahead in the Jerseys and Prizes chart, but with the accumulation of pink and white jerseys now stopped with Juan Pedro Lopez’s decline may enable someone to catch up, perhaps?

There is a terrific tussle at the top of the top ten tally. With some fearsome mountain days ahead in week 3 as the race climbs into the Dolomites, surely our GC favourites will have to come out to play, so there should be ample opportunities for this picture to change.

But who will have the riders left to do it? Stage 15 saw Valeri Conti fail to stay upright for Stay upright, damn it! and Hormonal Teenager. He was the 18 Leaver from the Giro, leaving us with just this many Remainers: