And to blame rain, I certainly couldnt see any rain when we had live pictures, I think it's the thick cloud disrupting the TV signal from the bikes/helicopters. Rob Hatch jumping to the wrong conclusion.

Only getting pictures from one helicopter ATM and it's just landed, no sign of rain.

Spoke to soon helicopter is up again and there is rain on the lens and signal keeps dropping

If you're spectating at a Tour Series round, I really recommend their Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/TourSeries
They provide lap-by-lap updates at every event.

On the flip side, avoid the Twitter feed if you are only watching on TV (and don't want to know the results beforehand), as the highlights programmes are shown several days after the actual event.

Anyone seen a full online overhead replay of today's finish? The switching between between fixed cameras created poor, disjointed visuals. A Dimension Data rider seemed pull in and block Greipel on the inside of the final corner. Next shot and Greipel is on the outside of the bend accelerating towards the centre.

Tomorrow's stage final climb is unsurfaced with a current 50/50 risk of rain. There was a smattering of light snow seen on the high roads today. https://twitter.com/Laura_Meseguer/s...86380966117376

Surprising to see Wiggins at the Tour of California after his appearance and excuse at Yorkshire. As usual the live coverage ends around midnight next week. http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/...2016_Startlist

Good stage going on at the moment, there's going to be lots of changes at the top...

Yeah, that was a good climb.......not too long or steep but interesting with the dirt road

god to see a long descent near the race finish as well.......test a few nerves !......

Gruesome stage for Dumoulin. Nearly three minutes down on Brambilla dropping out of top ten on GC. Not the sort of time he can hope to recover during the 40 km ITT tomorrow?

Dumoulin off at 14:46 with the top ten following at 3 min intervals. He says he will concentrate on TT wins not GC for the remainder of the race.

The ITT elevation looks the reverse of a normal profile. http://www.giroditalia.it/eng/stage/tappa-9/#

The top eleven are from different teams. Astana's Fuglsang breaks the run. The Canadian, and previous winner, Hesjedal, in 22nd place, is the highest placed English speaker.

Quittel has retired from the Giro.

So I think we can safely say that Ilnur Zakarin does not like the wet.

Chart that shows how the Giro GC standing has changed over the past two stages: http://visualvelo.com/giro2016.html

Use the grey vertical slider on the left to reduce down to 20-30 top places. Hover over lines to identify rider and current position.

Sagan made them look like chumps in the bunch sprint in California.........he went past them as though they had the brakes on

Cav didn't feature really........he was thereabouts in the final but didn't have anything.......he finished 29th

I've written him off before and he's come back to win races but it does look as though maybe age is catching up with him now

I'm not sure he'll take any more TdF stage wins in a bunch sprint, delighted to be proved wrong though. Kittel and Greipel have been devastatingly good in the first week of the Giro.

To be fair to Cav I guess he's doing a different training schedule this year with preparing for the Olympics........and he's younger than Griepel !

Maybe he could have another couple of years at the top table if he resumes his normal training regime for next season.

And with the proliferation of races there's plenty of opportunity to avoid Kittel or whoever the flavour of the moment is

The Giro is back after the rest day

Sky team leader Mikel Landa has abandoned after being dropped on the first climb today

Katusha have pulled out their rider Tsatevich who was fined and given a 6 minute penalty for excessive drafting in the time trial on Sunday.......

here we go with live pictures..........80K to go

I have no idea who will win the Giro. This one seems to be wide open

More Swiss Toni: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LOipMJsbOk

Peter Kennaugh has crashed in California - off to hospital, suspected broken collarbone. Not a good day for Sky.

Right, just going to walk down to the bottom of the stairs and across the road to watch a couple of World Champions and Olympic gold medallists race their bikes along my street.. Back in a couple of hours.

don't forget to run in front of the riders in your underpants carrying an enormous inflatable haggis......

And wouldn't you know it, right on the stroke of 19:29 the heavens opened, right until 20:30.

Did you pick up some freebies from the sponsor stalls?

I didn't get anything except wet. I could have got a couple of those inflatable clapper things, but they would have just annoyed Carlton. Actually with the road being so narrow it was a bit dangerous even putting your arm over the barrier to bash it. Found a nice vantage point on the home straight just opposite the pits so got to see a lot of what the team bosses were up to. (Bellowing "Catch that bloke up!" mostly). And the Team Scotland mechanic won't be getting any offers from World Tour teams anytime soon, I'll tell you that for nothing.

It's Edinburgh, what did you expect?

I think Carlton's more annoyed he's not in Italy doing Eurosport's Giro rest of the world commentary like last year. The Tour Series shows have something of a supply teacher vibe currently, with Ned, Hugh and Brian gone (although Hugh is 76).

I was given some tiny Soreen lunchbox loaves last year at the Docklands Cannery Wharf round. I know how to live!

The Giro reaches the Dolomites today for 3 days in the mountains........two road stages and a mountain time trial

Early start on ES - schedule 12.45

Bob Jungels is holding on to the leaders jersey but probably all change over the next 3 days

You got that right. Stage 13 report from Gazzetta World.

And we are off on Eurosport with the big mountain stage in the Dolomites, through towns familiar to us Winter Sports fans.

The last big XCO meet in the qualifying window (which ends on 24 May) is this weekend's MTB World Cup round in Albstadt; given the current standings, it's unlikely there will be any Brits on the Olympic course.

That said, the squad has reason to cheer as Evie Richards won silver on her WC debut in the women's U23 race behind Sina Frei (SUI). Here's hoping her senior career turns out to be just as good, if not better...