Best Bib and Tucker on Eurosport's Giro d'Italia Breakaway

 THE Giro d’Italia has gripped me solid these past two weeks.  Eurosport Television’s daily coverage has been especially enjoyable, but what makes it extra special is the expert race analysis provided by Breakaway, the half-hour programme which follows the live coverage presented by Orla Chennaoui.

It’s also a kind of fashion show, with everyone wearing their Best Bib and Tucker. One reason for watching is to see what Orla is wearing. She choses a different stylish outfit for every stage. She has so many clothes her wardrobe must be the size of a team bus.

In vain her guests try to match her flamboyant style and only Adam Blythe with his curly mop gets close,  one day choosing to wear a beautifully pressed shirt, one of those festooned with buttons where no buttons are needed. He looked a dead ringer for John Travolta in Grease.

Sir Bradley Wiggins, sporting a lot more muscle these days, preferred plain tee-shirts and skinny leg-hugging jeans – swopping these for what looked like thermal underwear for Saturday’s program. The plain look nicely offsets the blackened tattoos, a work of art, covering both arms.  I fancy it’s a tapestry, perhaps recording his major victories. It’s all complimented by a shaved head and Captain Birds Eye full beard. Next day he was in  Sunday best, black suit but no socks.

Dan Lloyd, meanwhile, is conservatively turned out in similar gear every day – black jeans and black tee-shirt bearing the letters GCN, standing for Global Cycling Network, the entertaining TV show he presents.

Sean Kelly. Er, I cannot for life of me recall what Sean was wearing. But he looked and sounded fine, there on the red sofa.

So, anyway, Orla, a former All- Ireland triple jump champion and formerly Sky’s chief correspondent for the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games before becoming Eurosport’s lead presenter for cycling, gets the prog. underway with a summary of the  stage finish we've just watched.  If you’re like me, I’m often left thinking what happened there, where did he come from.

Not to worry, Orla has it all worked out and soon directs her sofa full of pros to dissect the action as only pros can, providing a tantalising insight into what the hell is going on.

That’s because they’ve all done a bit themselves.

My arm’s not long enough to list all their achievements.

Kelly was one of finest classics riders of all time until his retirement in 1994.

Winner of nine road classics, and 193 professional races in total.

Seven times winner of Paris - Nice, winner of Tour of Spain, four times winner of the green points jersey in Tour de France. It goes on.

As for Wiggins, well! 

The first Briton to win Tour de France in 2012. Say no more. Well, just a bit.

Four world track titles, three Olympic titles, and he’s worn the leader’s jersey in all three Grand Tours. That's just for starters.

Adam and Dan palmares are more modest, but they’ve travelled the same road in the big Continental races, ridden for big teams and probably suffered more, and they know the sport inside out.

Dan is now lead presenter on GCN and does other commentary work besides.

The stage win which had me out of my seat - and the Breakaway team  off the sofa – was the 198km stage thirteen finish at Verona when the reigning European and  National Italian road race champion Giacomo Nizzolo did what has narrowly eluded him many times before.  After 19 second places in Grand Tour stages – 11 times second in the Giro – this time he at last won!

His was most devastating long sprint out of the bunch that I have seen -  and into a headwind!

Thanks to Dan’s video presentation which enabled me to focus exactly  how that chaotic sprint played out.

As Edoardo Affini opened a big lead with 500 metres to go, Nizzolo saw the danger immediately and attacked, rocketing clear of the rest, devouring the tarmac but the line seemed so far away.

Affini was way ahead on the right of the road.  To reach him Nizzolo dived first to the left, into the cover of wheels of another charging group, and almost immediately struck out into open space switching to the right and eating up the ground to reach Affini’ rear wheel.

A split second of respite, and incredibly, Nizzolo lit the blue touch paper for the third time and launched himself off Affini’s wheel and into clear daylight as others tried to close up.

The victory, so often taken by others, was his at last. He punched the air again and again and again, before finally coming to a halt to be swamped by rivals who forgot their own disappointment and instead were queuing up to congratulate him. He made it at last!

Meanwhile, it's back on the sofa for the final week of the Giro.

Can race leader Ergan Bernal win the overall? Has second overall Simon Yates got what it takes to snatch the victory?