My Campagnolo left shifter had the extra clicks to handle a triple. The rear mech was able to cope with the extra chain wrap (with the aid of a small shim for the 'b-screw' that I made from a strip of metal cut from a Coke can and folded several times). The front mech couldn't quite shift far enough because a small metal tab was fouling the seat tube but a few minutes with a file sorted that out. The total cost to me was less than £100 and it transformed my bike on steep climbs, plenty of which are to be found round here!
That sounds like you are significantly more capable than I. Although my STI lever had enough clicks there wasn't enough pull between them to get it to run a triple. Once I got used to the bar end shifters they were fine - smoother than most indexed gearing systems I've used.
My involvement in the design process was me handing the bike over to an LBS and saying "make this a touring bike with a very low bottom gear please", they worked through my spec, explaining all the problems and came to solutions that invariably involved spending daft money.
At least I'll know better next time and buy one that already matches the spec. (plus, the sodding thing got nicked after a month.)
