The Giro goes dutch here for the opening stage of this year's opening Grand Tour, with the first three stages being in Holland and predominantly flat its a great chance for an elite TTer to take pink for a little time.
The distance is at 8.4km which is just long enough to mean that GC favourites have had to take it a bit seriously. We are also in Amsterdam by the coast and we can get some variable wind conditions.
The overwhelming favourite for todays stage is Aussie TT champ and perennial World TT challenger material Michael Rogers of Gazzetta, his closest challengers on paper seem to be Keizer (Nespresso), Kittel (Vesuvio) and Posthuma (Jack Wolfskin). The GC contenders listed as possible top 5's for the day are Nibali (Domina Vacanze), Tenerio (Lafarge), Intxausti (Vesuvio) and Devolder (Phillips).
Paul Healion gets us off!
Cafe de Columbia's Irishmen is a pretty decent all round rider and he sets the benchmarks coming in at 4.54 at the intermediate and checking out at 9.30 at the finish. His lead is short lived as two riders behind him one of Auber's excellent quick men is riding well.
Flags of the Giro fly for Bouet.
Bouet of Auber shaves 3 seconds off of the intermediate split and seven second off of the overall with 9.23. Vesuvio decide to gamble by placing their best of a good crop of TTers near the top of the order. Kittel is searching for the best line round the bends.
Kittel is unsurprisingly setting superb checks going through the 1st in 4.43 and finishing in a fantastic 9.06. Its a massive 17 seconds faster than Bouet. That is a real marker for everyone and the wind conditions were fairly favourable has these marginal gains been enough. Gazzetta have sent a good TT lieutenent for Rogers out in Van Winden.
Possibly Gazzetta's second best TTer.
Its a pretty good response as Van Winden shows that Kittel's times are not unbeatable clocking 4.46 at the 1st split and finishing at 9.12 just six seconds back it gives us some perspective. Rogers will feel he can go faster than his teammater but enough to take Kittel? Plenty of good candidates are going here and the roar of the Dutch crowd tells us Posthuma is on the course.
Jack Wolfskin fans cheer on a dutchman
Posthuma is tearing it up and with gritted teeth has matched Kittel's first check and despite the wind beginning to get up he really pushes hard to finish with 9.09 just behind Kittel. Slight disappointment but still a great little ride. The wind has picked up a bit here as Devolder takes to the course...
Stijn knows these parts
The Phillips man is strong against the clock, but he struggles with the sudden gusts and finishes with 9.28 which is some 24 seconds slower than Kittel, that really isn't great. Sony Erikssons Lang also is regretting this wind.
Lang has to work really hard.
He manages to keep in tough with a 1st check of 4.47 (4 seconds down) but by the finish he has lost a further five seconds to finish with a time of 9.15. The wind does eventually drop and it actually gets quite still it probably will not last so a great time to be on course for B+O's Christensen.
B+O man will enjoy still conditions.
He excites many Scandenavians by matching Kittels split, but really fades a bit at the end to concede seven seconds slotting him in behind Posthuma in third. Still with the wind socks down out comes the Aussie champ.
Pink gloves and gold and green
Rogers must be tickled pink to have picked this time - he is powering along. Unbelievably he takes six seconds OFF of the first check for a stunning 4.37. He roars down the home straight...
The clock seems to be going in slow motion....
WOW... the Aussie breaks Nine minutes with a sensational 8.56! Who an earth can come up with anything to match that, Vesuvio have fellow Aussie Ford on course following in Rogers wake but he can only finish with 9.15, its 4th best so far so not bad. Meanwhile some of the GC contenders are not out of the starthouse.
Pozzovivo has worked hard on his TTing
The Energie Diesal man does a not too shabby job with a 9.25, its ahead of Devolder but he was having a bad day. Going even better as one would expect was the Spainard Intxausti...
Nice ride by Vesuvio's GC man
He finishes with 9.17, thats going to be good enough for 15th on the day. Though out of camara shot a whizzing Nibali of Domina Vancanze moves into 4th spot on the TT so far with a very nice 9.10. Another Spanish rider with a successful day was young Tenerio of Lafarge.
This guy is going to be great.
He clocks 9.15 thats pretty decent and will end up being good enough for 10th. All eyes turn to a certain Gazzatta rider as he comes onto the course.
Its Cunego!
The five time champ has a low key TT, matching Italian rival Pozzovivos time (9.25) at the finish which is probably acceptable to the Gazzetta squad. There is only one rider seemingly left to challenge the Rogers win.
Nespresso hoping to brew a surprise
Its a tough challenge Rogers has 10 seconds on Kittel, but Keizer ruffles things up with a decent 4.41 split time the second best so far and he holds his speed brilliantly. Rogers looks on anxiously as Keizer looks close but ultimately clocks 9 minutes dead. Rogers has got this, a few more riders left to come in. First, Sella...
Not the Lipton mans cup of tea
He looks uncomfortable on his bike and it shows with a time of 9.35, he loses 10 seconds on Cunego/Pozzo straight away. Our final finisher is Italian favourite Ballan.
