The Giro d'Italia will pass through a part of my homeland today. This stage is 244 km long and runs from Innsbruck to Chaivenna, which is situated 25 km to the north of Lake Como. We travel via Martina and Scoul in Switzerland, then continue on towards St.Moritz before entering Italy via the 1815 m high Maloja Pass.

I know this route very well and am looking forward to seeing many Swiss people there to cheer us on. I have been surprised by the number of spectators in Austria over the last few days, which always motivates us, of course.

I'm very satisfied with the first week of the Giro d'Italia. The daily exertion is tiring, but I am feeling better day-by-day.

That's a good sign. It's something I've been trying to achieve over the past few weeks, and it's finally happening.

I'm hoping the weather remains good, as some of the upcoming stages are at a height of between 1400 and 1815 metres. We will have covered a distance of 700km between Thursday and Saturday.

I have never had to cover so many kilometres before, with three 6-hour stints on the bike each day. But I'm happy about this, as it gives me the chance to make up for some of the lost competition kilometres.

It's also going to be interesting to see how my body reacts to such an intensive programme. Speak to you soon Yours, Fabian.