Cav and OP-QS on Top at Tirreno Adriatico TTT
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AFP/Yuzuru Sunada
March 12, 2014 – British sprinter Mark Cavendish is the early leader of the Tirreno-Adriatico race after his Omega-Pharma team won the opening stage team time-trial on Wednesday. Omega finished the 18.5km time-trial from Donoratico to San Vincenzo in 20min 13sec, 11sec ahead of Orica Greenedge with Movistar a further seven seconds back. The Sky team of 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins were a disappointing sixth, 27sec off the pace.
The double world team time-trial champions Omega emphasized their dominance in this discipline ahead of Orica, led by South African Daryl Impey, who wore the yellow jersey on two stages of last year’s Tour de France. Another former Tour winner, Alberto Contador is well positioned after his Tinkoff-Saxo team finished fourth at 24sec.
But for the 2011 Tour champion Cadel Evans of Australia it was a day to forget as his BMC team lost 47sec while Vuelta a Espana winner Chris Horner’s Lampre finished 53sec down.
Cavendish’s team-mates Michal Kwiatowski and Rigoberto Uran are second and third respectively. Thursday’s second stage is one for the sprinters with a 166km largely flat run from San Vincenzo to Cascina.
Results: Stage 1 – 18.5km team time-trial from Donoratico to San Vincenzo.
1. Omega Pharma 20min 13sec
2. Orica at 11sec
3. Movistar 18
4. Tinkoff-Saxo 24
5. Cannondale 26
6. Sky 27
7. Lotto 28
8. Trek 36,
9. Belkin 37
10. FDJ.fr 43