It was another early start for the Tigers in Bormio today (Saturday) as they went out for one of those 16km bike rides at 7am.

A few 'fun' bets had been placed amongst the coaching staff on Friday night as to who would come out on top in the battle for the leaders' jersey and evidently it was psychologist Mark Nesti who sped off into the distance to take the honours. Meanwhile, Steve Parkin came nowhere in the final placings but was disadvantaged by having to un-wedge George Boateng's bike from behind an electric garage door! Apparently, the Dutch midfielder had left his bike in a less than convenient spot and it became jammed when the door was opened this morning. Needless to say Parkin was not amused as he made a late start to the cycling trip, thus (in his words anyway!) costing him any chance of winning.

Quicker to walk - George Boateng (right) arrives for training with Peter Halmosi

While City's first-team coach was disappointed to have missed out on glory, a certain Nick Barmby was happy to concede that he was - and always is - at the back on the arduous trek. When asked who was at the front from a playing point of view he simply answered: "I've no idea. I was right at the back as usual!" However, after making further investigations, www.hullcityafc.net did discover that it was youngster Nicky Featherstone who was first past the post.

After breakfast and a couple of hours rest it was down to the hotel swimming pool at 10:30am for the squad as Fitness Conditioner Sean Rush put them through their paces with a series of relay races.

There was a real competitive edge to the session with Brian Horton and Steve Parkin on the lookout for any cheating, while manager Phil Brown decided to join in. The tension was cranked up when Nick Barmby's team was disqualified from one race for alleged cheating. "Pack it in Barmby", shouted Horton, "you're always cheating you are!" Barmby disputed the decision but Horton's word was final, much to the annoyance of the former England man!

Craig Fagan would have taken the 'jazziest goggles' award if there had been one to give away and Bo Myhill would have been the clear winner of 'worst dressed' in his black Speedos. With the water workout completed, Phil Brown held a quick team meeting before letting his players rest ahead of the scheduled 4pm football and weights sessions down at the training pitch.

Best Goggles - Craig Fagan

Possession was the order of the day in terms of the football with the games being short, sharp and intense with limited rest in between. With that going on in the background, injured duo Ian Ashbee and Jimmy Bullard continued their rehab work with physio Simon Maltby. Both are working extremely hard out here in the Italian Alps, but there's always time for a bit of fun as demonstrated by Bullard when he wandered over to the possession drills to 'throw in' some banter to his team-mates.

As the session ended, Radio Humberside's David Burns commented on how good Bryan Hughes' touch had been to which 'Yosser' replied: "Well, you never lose it do you?" The quickest off the mark on the back of that was the nearby Nathan Doyle who retorted "No, You never lose what you never had!"

It was a light-hearted way to finish what had been another tough day for the players. Manager Phil Brown confirmed to the waiting David Burns and Phil Buckingham that he had nothing to give them today in terms of news before heading back to the hotel where his squad were cooling down with a swim and a massage.

Ian Ashbee and Jimmy Bullard made their way to the pool table in the hotel reception area and it appeared to be a close contest, although www.hullcityafc.net did leave before the conclusion. 'The Bulldog' (Bullard) was happy to pose for a photo or two though, much to the amusement of his playing partner Ashbee!

Pool Partners - Jimmy Bullard (left) and Ian Ashbee

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the players' day off and they'll be heading to a mountainside spa to rest and relax the aching muscles that they've picked up during a testing first three days. The www.hullcityafc.net Bormio Blog will be back online on Monday when the squad are back in training.

[Main Picture: On the lookout for 'cheats' - Brian Horton (left) and Steve Parkin]