Super sprinter Mark Cavendish stormed to victory in the opening stage of this year's Giro D'Italia.
The 2013 race which comprises of a 3,405 km course starting in Naples and finishing in Brescia on Sunday, May 26th started with a 130km stage that started and ended in Naples.
Six British riders in Mark Cavendish, BMC's Steve Cummings and Adam Blythe, Garmin's David Millar, Movistar's Alex Dowsett and Team Sky's Sir Bradley Wiggins are competing in this year's race and they set off in a field of 229 riders that also includes last year's winner Ryder Hesjedal.
In glorious weather, the race started at 14.20 local time on the sea front and five riders started on the four laps of the 16.4km Posillipo circuit which was followed by eight laps of an 8km circuit, out in front.
Cannondale's Cameron Wurf went away and led an escaping group which had gained 1.26 on the peloton with 116kms to go.
Thankfully, the riders including Gianni Visconti who was away with Wurf, all missed a dog on the course just before a right hand bend.
Wurf and Visconti were joined by Bonnafond, Keizer, Bulgac, Mestre and Canola and their lead went out to 2.16 with 106kms left.
Bonnafond had attacked but it was Visconti who took the first points for the first King Of The Mountains climb.
FDJ's Laurent Pichon was the first to crash in the race but despite the road rash, he got back on his bike and carried on before a second crash with 91kms to go took down Alex Dowsett and Rabottini.
Australian Cameron Wurf took the second King Of The Mountains climb as the average speed for the first hour was announced as 41.957kmph.
Euskatel's Pablo Urtasain looked to be hurt after a fall which held up the back half of the peloton on the finishing straight for the start of the ninth lap.
Mark Cavendish's Omega Pharma Quick Step team took their turn on the front of the peloton as Wurf carried on his own out front with 67kms to go.
Twenty kilometres on and Wurf was still away from a peloton which now had Team Sky marshalled by Bradley Wiggins at the front.
Wurf took the intermediate sprint with 24kms to go but four kilometres later, he was mopped up by the peloton.
Inside the final three kilometres and Cannondale working for Viviani and Orica Green Edge with three riders each on the front, whilst Mark Cavendish was in eighth.
There a crash behind them but the sprint continued. Matt Goss went for the line but Cavendish went wide and won in a time of 2.58.38, beating Viviani and Bouhanni, Nizzolo and Goss.
Cavendish, who wanted to take the leaders pink jersey designed by Paul Smith, said to Daniel Lloyd: "It was a difficult stage with all the corners. But the team were incredible we did not get it quite right and I had get to get onto the Green Edge Train but I wanted it so bad and we wanted to start to get it right here."
.
.
.