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Amsterdam - Britain's Bradley Wiggins sped around the picturesque streets of Amsterdam to win the first stage of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday and lay down a marker for the rest of the three-week race.
The Team Sky rider, among the favourites for overall glory, grabbed the leader's pink jersey by completing the time trial in 10 minutes 18 seconds to hold a two-second lead over Brent Bookwalter and Australian world champion Cadel Evans.
"I did my own race. It felt good," Wiggins told reporters.
Sullen skies and drizzle in the Netherlands greeted the 198 riders from 34 nations who criss-crossed the famous canals individually before finishing the 8.4-km route by the city's ageing Olympic Stadium.
The spectacular start took place on a pontoon in the middle of a pond in the city's Museumplein, with the huge Rijksmuseum hidden from view by scaffolding during renovation work.
The Giro itself had been trying to rebuild its reputation since last year's runner-up Danilo Di Luca was banned for doping but a fresh blow arrived on Monday when potential favourite Franco Pellizotti was told he will face doping charges.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) said his biological passport had suspicious data and he was pulled out of the race.
The absence of top riders such as Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong, who will concentrate on July's Tour de France, has also hurt the Giro's standing this year but the Dutch did their best to put on a good show.
Amsterdam shone in orange for last week's celebrated Queen's Day festival and race organisers tried with partial success to replicate the idea and turn the city pink in honour of the Giro's signature colour.
A decent-sized crowd lined the route with special cheers reserved for the home Rabobank team and the eight Dutch riders.
They failed to threaten at the top of the leaderboard where American Bookwalter made a surprise appearance having managed the same time as BMC team mate Evans.
The race, which has often started or passed through other countries than Italy and could begin in the United States in 2012 under ambitious plans, stays in the cycling-mad Netherlands for two more days before returning home.
Sunday's 210-km second stage is between Amsterdam and Utrecht while Monday's third stage finishes in Middelburg. The race ends in Verona on May 30.
Results from the first stage of the Giro d'Italia:
1. Bradley Wiggins, Britain, Sky Team, 10 minutes, 18 seconds.
2. Brent Bookwalter, United States, BMC Racing Team, 0:00:02 behind.
3. Cadel Evans, Australia, BMC Racing Team, same time.
4. Alexandre Vinokourov, Kazakhstan, Astana, 05.
5. Greg Henderson, New Zealand, Sky Team, same time.
6. David Millar, Britain, Garmin-Transitions, 06.
7. Gustav Erik Larsson, Sweden, Saxo Bank, 07.
8. Jos Van Emden, Netherlands, Rabobank, 09.
9. Marco Pinotti, Italy, HTC-Columbia, same time.
10. Vincenzo Nibali, Italy, Liquigas-Doimo, 0:00:10
