Wiggins begins his Grand Tour in Naples

The Castel dell'Ovo in Naples is not the most auspicious of places for an Englishman to begin an Italian sojourn. John Keats docked here in 1820 on his ill-starred journey to Italy and found his ship placed under quarantine for 10 days, passing the time, it is said, by thinking up puns to amuse his travelling companion.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.