The rains are here!

For those of you in cooler climes, you may believe the Iberian Peninsula to be a safe haven from low temperatures and damp weather but you'd be wrong, today especially! Keep reading.

PROBLEMS AT THE POINTY END

Ulrich has reported knee issues due to the cooler weather and he's having to rest more than he'd like. He stopped for 13 hours yesterday and didn't begin riding until 8 this morning. He's making his way up CP8 as we speak but among thick rain making the climb even more difficult.

Bruno Ferraro, currently in second place, has been bitten by a dog at a petrol station. 5km after the incident, he found a fan who wanted to cheer him and it turned out he was a doctor! After seeing the bite, he called an ambulance to bring him to a hospital for vaccines and once he was given the all clear, he restarted the route from the point he was picked up. He missed around five hours in total.

Get your rabies jabs, kids.

Sami Martiskainen has made up ground that Bruno had previously gained on the other riders and is homing in on him as we type. Will he be able to claim second place or will Bruno recover well enough to defend his position?

ROUTE DILEMMAS

A few riders have managed to plot their rides in Portugal along roads that forbid bicycles. This has meant some on-the-fly rerouting but with the absence of Google bike directions, it's not been easy for some.

https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/1171296420277751809

https://twitter.com/numplumz/status/1171385102661816320