BMC Racing Team won the opening stage team time trial in the 2012 Giro del Trentino in Italy on Tuesday.
The US-based team collectively beat 16 other squads to take the stage. Astana were second-fastest, some 10 seconds adrift of BMC on the flat 14.3-kilometre course. Colnago-CSF Inox were third at 13 seconds.
American Taylor Phinney was the first BMC rider to cross the finish line and put himself into the pink leader's jersey going into Wednesday's opening road stage.
Tuesday's victory is only BMC's third win of the season so far, after 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans took a stage and the overall at the Criterium International in March. Begian Philippe Gilbert will be looking for a win for the squad at Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday or Liege-Bastogne-Liege on Sunday.
The UCI 2.HC-ranked 2012 Giro del Trentino concludes on Friday, April 20. The remainder of the race is a mountainous affair and favours climbers.
The 2012 start list for the race that is often used as a pre-Giro d'Italia leg-warmer boasts the likes of Damiano Cunego, Michele Scarponi (both Lampre-ISD), Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale), Roman Kreuziger (Astana) and Pierre Rolland (Europcar).
Scarponi won the race overall in 2011.
Related links
Evans wins Criterium International after mountain finale
