I recently bought a Specialized 2D road helmet. And so I was looking at the riders' helmets. In amongst Met and other brands, were a few like mine.

I'm watching Stage 17 on EuroSport. In the north of Italy, the terrain is hilly.

I hope this can motivate me for tomorrow's commute. I lost a kilo last month. And my doctor wants me exercising more!

The video feed tends to break up, but I've turned down the picture settings.

Aussie Richie Porte is wearing white as the best young rider.

Wow, snow in layers! 2618 metres elevation.

Wow, that's steep descent! The road is crumbly. Hairpin bends. Very alpine terrain. So much snow! The scenery is spectacular. Wow, that's tight cornering.

This reminds me of a mountain descent that I rarely do at 83 kph!

The grass is a lot greener than here in Oz.

I feel like a wimp, not putting on a jacket and going out in the rain!

They're putting on speed.

A mountain stream is a torrent.

Cobble stones: very European.

Lots of pine trees.

Those road cleats look big! I use SPD.

There's a cable car!

The scenery looks very rural. Obviously this is a ski resort area.

This is very scenic countryside.

That's interesting: arm-warmers. I hadn't seen those before.

Simoni is giving an interview as he rides!

Cadel Evens is having a blast, sprinting.

The spectators are wild.

Scarponi keeps getting mentioned.

Lots of cheering.

Johan Tschopp takes the victory.

I saw an excruciating face on a rider crossing the finish.

I've been watching Stage 6 of the 95th Giro. In central Italy, the province of Fermo looks warm and sunny. Those guys have been working hard on the hills around Montegranaro!