Through my career I seem to have inadvertently become a bit of a box ticker with results. I’m a collector of victories - barring grand tour stages in the Tour and Vuelta, I have rarely repeated wins. But having recognised one glaring omission from my palmarès I felt the need to try and fill that gap: a stage victory in the Giro d’Italia. When I raced it in 2010 I was in my formative years and far from the level required for success. We all know how 2014 ended (badly), and this year with a Tour route I felt was uninspiring with regards to a GC challenge, I discussed a run at the Giro.