Svein Tuft Checks In from the Giro d’Italia

Svein Tuft (Garmin-Transitions) has been racing in the Giro d’Italia for the past three weeks. With only two stages, left, the Canadian is riding strong and working hard for his team. Tuft answered some questions for us leading into this final weekend of racing:

How is the racing going for you?
The racing has been going good. The last week has been pretty tough up here in the mountains, but we’ve had a good tour so the team morale is quite good. I think its been one of the toughest Giros on record so everyone is quite tired. The guys are happy though.
The crowds were pretty intense on the mountain TT stage – what is like to race in front of such a level of passion and excitement?
The crowds for the mountain TT were pretty intense. I went off early and there were still a lot of people up top, but watching the GC guys later on in the day it looked like it was even crazier up there. The Italians are really into their cycling. Its definitely motivating having all those people there cheering you along.
How are you feeling in this last week of the Giro? Do you find yourself riding stronger at the end of the race or is the racing fatigue starting to show up?
For the last week, I’ve been feeling pretty good. The second week we had 41.5 hours in 7 days, so I thought it would be pretty hard to come back from that. We did quite a bit of work on the front early on, so I definitely felt the effects of that. This final week has been more climbing than I’ve ever done in such a short period. We have the Gavia today and then the final TT in Verona tomorrow. The TT does not suit me at all, but I’ll give it a dig and see how it feels to push hard at the end of a grand tour.
How will you recharge after this stage race?
After the Giro, I’ll go home and rest for about 8 days and then head to the Delta tour in Holland.