Don't criticise the hotel?

There were unexpected visitors at the Gerolsteiner's hotel on Thursday. First came the doping control at 6:45 am, and fortunately, writes Robert Förster, he was able to get back to sleep after giving his donation. But the other visitors were even more unexpected.

"Apparently an Italian journalist published my criticism of the hotel and it has become a police issue. Three policemen were standing at the reception desk and as I walked by I heard 'Robert Förster...interview...giornale.' I disappeared as unobtrusively as I could. Our Italian speaking masseur kept us calm. But I still don't know what it was all about."

In his diary at www.radsportnews.com, Förster noted, "The hotels are booked by the Giro organisers and the team has no influence on the decision. During the whole Giro we really don't have any worse hotels that any other team. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. Surely the organisers don't do it on purpose."

But after dinner last night, the team spent the evening in the bus again. "Why, I won't say - otherwise the police might come again!"