Basso in the Golden State

Ivan Basso has updated his diary from California, where he is participating in the week-long stage race. In this latest instalment the former Giro winner questions the state's name, the Golden State:

I am here in the 'Golden State' of California but the weather has been gloomy since day one. It is just the same as the weather I left at home in Varese, Italy, but rainy as well.