Organising a grand tour... It’s not exactly child’s play, is it?

The organisers of the recent Sheffield Half Marathon got it in the neck when they cancelled the race at the last minute after the water supply failed to materialise. It set us thinking that when organisers and hosts do get press, more often than not it’s of the negative variety. If a race goes off smoothly, the riders are the ones who get the credit for animating the race. If something goes wrong – say an accident involving a rider or spectator – everyone looks to the organisers for answers. Rarely do you see them getting a

pat on the back for a job well done. As we’ve checked and double-checked this month’s Giro d’Italia preview against the RC S Sport website, there have been endless little revisions. One stage lost 3km just days before our deadline, for example. It highlighted the huge complexity in staging a race on a scale this vast. To fans, a Giro stage is a red line on a map until

the day itself. To organisers, it’s a resurfaced road on the run into Trieste, a burst water main outside of Belfast… And that’s not even before you take into account the havoc that inclement weather can wreak. This barrage of little details need to be managed to prevent

a big problem on race day, so they deserve kudos for getting so much right rather than criticism for the small amount they don’t.