Stage 1

The road

At the start

A team time trial on a bike path

San Lorenzo al Mare, and the Giro opens where Milan-San Remo ends — 17.6 kilometres of flat coast road on a converted railway line, so narrow that RCS refused to let the Classic finish here. Nine men abreast on a cycle path, then. Orica-GreenEdge won this discipline last year and start favourites. Alberto Contador, Fabio Aru, Richie Porte and Rigoberto Urán have three weeks ahead and a first minute to protect.

How it was won

1. 18 km to go

   Tinkoff fastest at the check

   Halfway along the Ligurian coast road from San Lorenzo al Mare, Orica-GreenEdge are only second quickest. Contador's Tinkoff-Saxo have set the mark.

2. 23 km to go

   Holding the line into Sanremo

   The Australians keep their formation immaculate on the sweeping run into Sanremo, six men still on the front where others have shed riders.

3. 3At the line

   19:26, and the first maglia rosa

   Orica stop the clock seven seconds up on Tinkoff-Saxo and thirteen on Astana, knocking Fabio Aru off the top of the board. Simon Gerrans leads them across and pulls on the first pink jersey of the race.

The result