Sky wins Giro del Trentino team time trial

Team Sky won the stage 1b team time trial in the Giro del Trentino in Italy on Tuesday afternoon.

The British-based squad of Bradley Wiggins, Dario Cataldo, Joe Dombrowski, Peter Kennaugh, Christian Knees, Danny Pate, Kanstantsin Siutsou and Xabier Zandio put in a well-drilled performance to record a time of 15 minutes and 20 seconds on the largely flat 14.1 kilometre course around Lienz.

Despite individual riders from the Sky team having a strong reputation against the clock, the team has collectively under-performed in team time trials - this is its first win in a TTT since the Tour of Qatar in 2010.

Astana placed second at 13 seconds, with Lampre-Merida 16 seconds adrift of the stage winners. Last year's Trentino TTT winners BMC Racing could only manage ninth.

German team NetApp-Endura, containing British riders Jonny McEvoy and Erick Rowsell, put in a strong ride to place fourth.

Czech rider Josef Cerny (CCC Polsat) takes the overall lead of the race having been on of eight riders in a successful breakaway group in the opening road stage in the morning. The escapees built up a margin of just under seven minutes on the peloton at the finish.

Stage 1a winner and early race leader Maxime Bouet slips to second overall after his Ag2r team could only manage 15th place in the TTT. Kennaugh is ninth at 6-03, with Wiggins at the same time in 12th.

Wednesday's stage two is the first of two days that conclude with a mountain-top finish, and the general classification should receive another shake-up. Whether the overall contenders can claim back the six-minute advantage that the stage 1a escapees hold over them in the general classification remains to be seen.

Bouet appears to be in a good position - the Frenchman has had a solid season so far, placing seventh overall in the Criterium International and 10th overall in the Tour of Oman.

Result

Giro del Trentino 2013: Lienz to Lienz, 14.1km team time trial

1. Sky in 15-20

2. Astana at 13 secs

3. Lampre-Merida at 16 secs

4. NetApp-Endura at 24 secs

5. Europcar at 35 secs

6. Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox at 35 secs

7. Vini Fantini at 39 secs

8. Androni-Venezuela at 44 secs

9. BMC Racing at 49 secs

10. Cannondale at 49 secs

Overall classification after stage 1b

1. Josef Cerny (Cze) CCC Polsat in 3-20-00

2. Maxime Bouet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at 11 secs

3. Michael Rodriguez (Col) Colombia at 11 secs

4. Jacques Janse van Rensburg (RSA) MTN-Qhubeka at 44 secs

5. Pavel Kochetkov (Rus) Rusvelo at 49 secs

6. Enzo Moyano (Arg) Caja Rural at 50 secs

7. Nicola Dal Santo (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia at 59 secs

8. Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System at 2-05

9. Peter Kennaugh (GBr) Sky at 6-03

10. Christian Knees (Ger) Sky at 6-03

Other

12. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky at 6-03

Sky on the way to winning the team time trial

Astana on the way to coming second

Sky on the podium after taking the stage win

Bradley Wiggins (centre) celebrates with a bit of bubbly

19-year-old Josef Cerny takes the race lead

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