Behind the scenes at the Giro d'Italia: A day in the life of the Eurosport team

Updated 22/05/2017 at 15:04 GMT

What is it really like to cover a Grand Tour? Jonathan Edwards, Sean Kelly, Brian Smith, Rob Hatch and the rest of the Eurosport team (Doug Ferguson, Rob Bevan and John Langridge) give a glimpse behind the curtain at the Giro d'Italia.

Behind the scenes at the Giro d'Italia with Rob Hatch, Sean Kelly, Brian Smith and Jonathan Edwards

Image credit: Eurosport

The Giro d’Italia offers three week of sensational racing and stunning scenery for the television viewer… but it’s just as good behind the camera.

Three weeks of long days and countless travel hours are all worth it for sights like these.

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But while the coffee and chianti might flow, it’s not all glitz and glamour on the road.

Here we offer you a sneak peak of the life of a Eurosport commentator following the world’s best cyclists around Italy.

The typical day starts with a coffee (the first of many for commentator Rob Hatch).

And maybe even some breakfast cake (!?).

And then it's time for some more coffee - a necessary accompaniment for the long afternoons on air.

Sometimes even the legendary Sean Kelly becomes the caffè domestique…

Although that doesn't always go exactly to plan.

Sean Kelly does his chores at the Giro d'Italia

Once Sean is all cleaned up then it's time to head out onto the roads for some final preview work before the start of the stage.

Eurosport's Matt Stephens at the Giro d’Italia

Image credit: Eurosport

Media and fans are everywhere on the morning of a stage, creating a buzzing atmosphere.

But even with such a demand on their time, one of the great things about covering a Grand Tour is the incredible access the teams grant to their riders - even on the morning of a race day.

Eurosport TV team at the Giro d’Italia

Image credit: Eurosport

And every now and then there's the bonus of a famous face to add to the morning excitement.

The fans and press can get up close and personal with the professional kit too.

Team Sky's incredible gear attracted a great deal of attention in the opening weeks, but interest has waned slightly since Thomas' withdrawal.

Eurosport TV team at the Giro d’Italia

Image credit: Eurosport

But it's no surprise who the most popular riders are with the Italian fans.

All of the home cyclists get great receptions, but the biggest cheers are saved for one man in particular:

The presenting team and on-the-ground interviewers will have been working hard in the build-up to the stage to create additional features for use during the race, but once the racing has started it's usually a case of soaking up the atmosphere along the route:

Meanwhile, over in the mobile studio, the producer and his team will be hard at work getting the television images out to the viewers.

Eurosport behind the scenes at the Giro

Image credit: Eurosport

But, while they are slaving away, at least a couple of the crew will have the luxury of a good vantage point for the end of the stage, which has thrown up some dramatic moments so far:

And then it's over to the presenting team to wrap up the stage, interview the riders and (in Ashley House’s case) don their superhero capes to prevent disasters: