Giro del Trentino: BMC win team time trial

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BMC won the opening team time trial, from Riva del Garda to Arco, at the Giro del Trentino, ahead of second place NetApp-Endura. The American team was untouchable as they blasted around the 13.4km course in a time of 14:12.

BMC was one of the last of the 16 teams present to roll down the starting ramp. They came out of the gates flying and were the only team to dip under the seven-minute mark at the intermediate check.

Trentino born rider Daniel Oss crossed the line first and will start tomorrow's stage as the race leader. However, the Italian is likely to relinquish his race lead after tomorrow’s summit finish. His teammate Cadel Evans, who was second across the line, is sitting in prime position to be the one to assume the lead. His nine-second gap to Sky and Bradley Wiggins provides him with a small cushion.

Sky was already at a disadvantage before they even got to the start, with only six riders in their starting line-up. With Ian Boswell dropping off the back, the team finished with the minimum of five riders. Despite that, Wiggins was able to shepherd his team around the short course, to set the early pace. The team eventually finished in third.

Evans will have a challenger for the pink jersey tomorrow, in NetApp-Endura’s Leo König. Their second place was surely the surprise of the day. They are not known for their team time trialling abilities, but were only four seconds down on BMC’s time at the intermediate check. They were unable to keep up the pace and eventually finished 15 seconds down on BMC.

König has been out of action since the Tour of Oman with a knee injury. The Czech rider is a very strong climber and finished in the top 10 at the Vuelta a España last year, after winning a stage.

Of the general classification riders, the bigger losers of the day were Ivan Basso (Cannondale) and Michele Scarponi (Astana). The pair lost 13 and 21 seconds respectively. However it is still all to play for with three tough mountain stages to come.

Stage 2 will feature two classified climbs, before the summit finish on the first category San Giacomo di Brentonico.

Results