Giro d'Italia - Stage One

Stage 1, Athens - Athens 170 km:

 1. Silvio Martinello (Ita) Saeco              4.02.58
 2. Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Scrigno-Blue Storm
 3. Stefano Zanini (Ita) Gewiss-Playbus
 4. Zbigniew Spruch (Pol) Panaria-Vinavil
 5. Mario Traversoni (Ita) Carrera
 6. Glenn Magnusson (Swe) Amore e Vita
 7. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team Polti
 8. Adriano Baffi (Ita) Mapei-GB
 9. Mirko Rossato (Ita) Scrigno-Blue Storm
10. Marco Vergnani (It, Amore e Vita)
11. Fabiano Fontanelli (It, MG-Technogym)
12. Fabrizio Bontempi (It, Brescialat)
13. Djamolidin Abdujaparov (Uzbek, Ceramiche Refin)
14. Martin van Steen (Neth, TVM)
15. Mario Manzoni (It, Roslotto-Z Mobili)
16. Abraham Olano (Sp, Mapei-GB)
17. Beat Zberg (Swi, Carrera)
18. Davide Casarotto (It, Scrigno-Blue Storm)
19. Angel Edo (Spain, Kelme-Artiach)
20. Marco Milesi (It, Brescialat)     		all s.t.

Overall (with time bonuses):

 1. Silvio Martinello (Ita) Saeco              4.02.46
 2. Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Scrigno-Blue Storm     + 0.04
 3. Daniele Contrini (Ita) Brescialat           + 0.06
 4. Stefano Zanini (Ita) Gewiss-Playbus         + 0.08
 5. Fabrizio Bontempi (Ita)                     + 0.08
 6. Mirko Rossato (Ita) Scrigno-Blue Storm      + 0.10
 7. Zbigniew Spruch (Pol) Panaria-Vinavil       + 0.12
 8. Mario Traversoni (Ita) Carrera              + 0.12
 9. Glenn Magnusson (Swe) Amore e Vita          + 0.12
10. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team Polti          + 0.12
11. Baffi 
12. Vergnani
13. Fontanelli
14. Carlo Finco (It, MG-Technogym)
15. Abdujaparov
16. Davide Bramati (It, Ceramica Panaria-Vinavil
17. Van Steen 
18. Manzoni 
19. Olano 
20. Zberg    					 all s.t.

Race Report

Silvio Martinello, 33, won the sprint on an uphill finish, the usual game plan of leading out Mario Cipollini having been abandoned when Cipollini told Martinello a few kilometres from the finish that he wasn't in good shape and that he should go for it. Two crashes en route on potholed roads that Martinello publicly complained about at the finish put paid to the races of Francesco Secchiari (It, Scrigno-Blue Storm) who went to hospital with a shoulder injury and MX Onda's main chance for glory in the race, German sprinter Marcel Wust, who retired with suspected concussion. There were few spectators at the start or en route via Marathon, but a few more at the finish, where Sergei Outschakov (Ukr, Team Polti) led the sprint out of the final corner but ran out of steam before the line.

Stage 2 on Sunday goes 231km from Elefsina to Nafpaktos.