17. An explosive start to the Giro

May 14 | The Giro d'Italia is underway and already it's shaping up to be a battle royale.

Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie meet up with Daniel Friebe, fresh back from a trip to the opening weekend of the Giro, to catch up on the latest news from the race.

Team Sky's Richie Porte has opted to sleep in a luxury camper van rather than the team hotels, Pippo Pozzato delighted a hen party in San Remo at the weekend, and Davide Formolo showed that Italian cycling may have a bright future.

And, with Alberto Contador taking the pink jersey as leader on just the fifth day, we ask whether Tinkoff-Saxo are up to the task of defending it. With their multi-millionnaire owner Oleg Tinkov enjoying a high profile thanks to an active Twitter presence and an outspoken manner, will Tinkoff's morale hold up, or will their unorthodox tactics be exposed by their rivals?

The Telegraph Cycling Podcast is sponsored by British Eurosport.