Giro D'Italia 2015: Stage 1 Results, Overall Standings and Highlights

Favourites Orica-GreenEdge put together a blistering time during the opening stage of the 2015 Giro d'Italia, and Simon Gerrans will be the one leading the standings at the start of Stage 2 on Sunday.    

Like last year, the 2015 Giro started with a team trial on Saturday, and the Australian outfit blew the competition out of the water with a time of 19 minutes and 26 seconds. The Giro's official Twitter account shared the news:

Here are the results from the first stage:

Position	Team	Time
1	Orica-GreenEdge	0:19:26
2	Tinkoff-Saxo	0:19:33
3	Astana Pro Team	0:19:39
4	Etixx-QuickStep	0:19:45
5	Movistar Team	0:19:47
6	BMC Racing Team	0:19:51
7	IAM Cycling	0:19:51
8	Team Sky	0:19:53
9	Team Katusha	0:19:53
10	Trek Factory Racing	0:19:55

BeIN Sports shared the standings after Saturday's stage:

Saturday's time trial took place near the legendary Cipressa, one of the final climbs of the Milan-San Remo race, as the riders faced flat, open roads that ran along the coastline.

Astana, with general classification hopeful Fabio Aru, were the first team to put together a really sharp time, finishing in 19:39. Etixx-QuickStep, who were expected to rival Orica-GreenEdge for the win, lost too much time in the first sector and fell hopefully back of Astana, via the team's official Twitter account:

They weren't the only side to disappoint, as Team Sky couldn't follow the pace of Movistar, Astana and Orica-GreenEdge at the first split, finishing well behind the top competitors:

Alberto Contador and Tinkoff-Saxo shocked the fans in attendance by beating Orica-GreenEdge's time at the first split, but the Spaniard couldn't follow the pace in the second sector, forcing his team-mates to chase the Aussies' time with fewer riders.

By the time they arrived at the second split, they were already chasing Orica-GreenEdge, who started the celebrations before the opposition crossed the finish line:

Gerrans was the first to cross the finish line, meaning the Australian is the first general classification leader of this year's Giro. But with the first three stages of Italy's biggest race reserved for the peloton's top sprinters, the pink jersey likely won't be in Gerrans' possession for long.

The veteran was one of the favourites to wear the pink after Day 1, and he seemed more than confident ahead of the stage:

He later told reporters the team had planned to let him cross the finish line first, and thanked his team-mates for that decision, per Cycling News:

"

I think technically we can be very happy. We set a really fast time, and left it all out there.

It was planned that I would be the first over the line. It's an enormous honour to wear the Maglia Rosa. This team has built a reputation for Team Time Trials, and we have some real specialists here, so this result is a credit to them.

"

Of the favourites for this year's Giro, Contador is undoubtedly the biggest winner after Stage 1. Tinkoff-Saxo was built with the Giro-Tour de France double in mind and is filled with climbers—hardly a success recipe for a team trial. But somehow, the squad managed to keep Astana and Team Sky at bay, a first mental victory for Contador.

The Spaniard is trying to make history by becoming the first rider to win both the Giro and Tour de France in the same year, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since Marco Pantani did it in 1998. Aru and Richie Porte are seen as his biggest competition, and both will be shocked to be sitting behind the Spaniard in the general classification after Stage 1.   

This year's Giro is packed with mountain stages in the final week of racing, so the biggest names in the peloton are expected to stay quiet until very late in the race.

Contador, Gerrans and Aru had their chance to shine on Saturday, but moving forward, all eyes will be on the sprinters and those brave enough to risk a long escape.

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