Meintjes frustrated by inconsistent pre-Giro d`Italia progress
(Cyclingnews.com)

Louis Meintjes (Dimension Data) is hoping that this week´s Tour of the Alps will be the kick-start he needs to find some consistent form ahead of the Giro d´Italia next month. Meintjes came into the race unsure of his form after a disappointing and frustrating start to the season. The South African says he has been training just as hard as previous years but his good days have been hit and miss. `I´m a bit uncertain. Training has been a bit up and down. Some days have been really good and some bad. Yesterday I felt good, so I´m at least a little bit confident,` Meintjes told Cyclingnews at the start of the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps.ADVERTISEMENT `I´ve definitely been working hard so it´s not like that´s lacking. That´s the really frustrating part; sometimes your body responds, and sometimes it doesn´t. It´s not like I´ve been sick or having crashes or any major disruptions. It´s really frustrating.` Meintjes went on to place 22nd on the opening stage, which featured a long second-category climb in the finale. He lost just under a minute to most of the general classification contenders.  The five-stage race is Meintjes` final preparation event ahead of his Giro d`Italia debut in just a few weeks´ time. He will head to his European base of Andorra when the race reaches its conclusion on Friday, and from there he and the team will make the call whether or not to go to altitude before the Giro starts in Israel on May 4. He remains hopeful that the form will come together and he can pull out a good result. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com