Nick Hasell talks to the cycling manager who uses his experience in the telecoms industry to keep his team in peak condition

The centenary edition of the Giro d'Italia - the three-week, 3,400km cycle race looping its way from Venice to Rome - was supposed to be all about Lance Armstrong.  The seven-times winner of the Tour de France had famously never eidden the Giro and chose the event to mark his comeback to Europe's grand tours after a four-year lay-off.

But instead the spotlight has fallen on another American export:  Columbia, the two-year-old cycling team sponsored by the US sportswear brand.  Having won 85 races last year, more than twice as many as any of its rivals, Columbia has stormed the Giro insimilar style, securing the opening stage and later winning on three consecutive days with three different riders - an unparalleled feat.

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