With one week down and two still to go at the Giro d'Italia, we've been in touch with Michael Barry to get his thoughts on the opening seven days of the tour, as well as finding out what Team Sky's plans will be on the varied stages to come:

TeamSky.com: It's been an eventful first week at the Giro - it must have been great to see Bradley win the opening time trial but then disappointing that the crashes on the next two days proved so decisive?

Michael Barry: There are few things greater in cycling than riding a Grand Tour and defending the leader's jersey. Brad's win was fantastic. Sadly, we had some bad luck in the two days after that with crashes, but the morale in the team remained high and we ploughed on.

The team has ridden very well, and according to plan, since the start. Morale is still high and we are committed to our goals. We will aim to win stages in the coming days as there are several good finishes for our sprinters. The race for the General Classification is also far from over so Brad will persist.

TS: Stage four's team time trial looked a great ride by you guys, especially given the weather conditions and Chris Sutton's early puncture...

MB: Yes, we were happy with our performance as everybody really did their best and we adapted quickly to the circumstances - notably CJ's puncture and the horrendous storm that drenched us midway through the stage. We were smooth, quick and everybody rode perfectly. The Liquigas riders commented to Dario that they were fortunate as we rode in much tougher conditions and they lucked out and had little rain, but that's bike racing.

TS: Saturday's seventh stage seemed one of the toughest in recent memory at a Grand Tour - is that how it felt?

MB: The race was hard and relentlessly quick from the start so the peloton really felt the strain of the course and conditions by the end. To be honest, I enjoyed the day as it was something unique and challenging. I am sure that one day it will be a fond memory. The race went to plan until the last few kilometres when Brad went hunger flat. Otherwise, it would have been a good day for us.

My eyes were a mess after the race and I woke up in the middle of the night with dirt and puss coming out of them. In the morning they were bloodshot and painful. Aside from that my body weathered the race well.

TS: How are you and the team feeling heading into the second week of the Giro and what are the targets now?

MB: I feel good. So far I have been recovering well and my legs haven't been painfully sore in the morning. The morale in the team is high, we are having fun, which also makes the racing easier. Steve Cummings was just commenting at dinner how quickly it has all gone by. We all agreed. In the coming weeks we will target stage wins and aim to help Brad and Dario move up in the overall. Although the time gaps are already quite large this race is far from over as the last week is the toughest of the three.