Team Sky's Elia Viviani has won the second stage of the 98th Giro D'Italia.
Stage two started with Simon Gerrans of Orica GreenEdge in the Maglia Rosa jersey after his team won the opening team time trial in Sanremo and was a stage of 177kms from Albenga to Genoa, the birth place of Christopher Colombus and a venue which has had a visit from the Giro on 83 occasions, including 43 stage starts.
The action started as soon as the flag dropped after the riders rolled out at 12.54pm local time, and Marco Frapporti of Androni, Lukasz Owsian of CCC Sprandi, Giacomo Berlato of Nippo Vini Fantini, the Albanian Eugert Zhupa of Southeast and Bert Lindeman of Lotto-Jumbo went away, taking an 8.11 lead after twenty five kilometres.
That was 7.56 after forty kilometres before Ramon Carretero of Southeast abandoned and went out to 9.47 and then 9.06 going through the town of Finale Ligure with 94 kilometres left.
With 75kms to go in Savona and a lead of 6.48, Frapporti took the first intermediate sprint of the race and the ten points ahead of Zhupa and Lindeman.
Ten kilometres later at Varazze, there was the second sprint and Marco Frapporti beat Lindeman to become the first leader in the points jersey competition.
Onto the Pratozanno category four climb which was the only climb of the day, the gap stood at 4.08 as Lindeman sprinted to take the blue jersey lead ahead of Owsian and Berlato.
With average speeds of 42.251kmh's, there was a crash involving Enrico Barbin of Bardiani CSF and a Katusha rider.
Into Genoa after three and a half hours of racing and the lead was now two minutes with just over thirty kilometres remaining.
Seven kilometres later and there was a crash with Heinrich Haussler, Sonny Cabrelli, Chavanel, Pelucchi and Atapuma all amongst those who were in trouble following a touch of wheels on the right.
There was 17.7kms left when Movistar's Dayer Quintana, brother of Nairo hit the deck whilst up the road, the five up front were trying to preserve a 46 second lead, watched by big crowds on a sunny, warm day.
Another crash took down Haussler again and Peter Sierry who abandoned after the escapers had been caught.
The riders started on the bell lap and it was Tinkoff Saxo who took a long turn on the front followed by Astana.
into the final kilometre and at least four teams were involved. Lampre went for it Modolo but his chain slipped. Greipel went as did Moreno Hofland but up the centre came Team Sky's Elia Viviani who won in a time of 4.13.18 ahead of Hofland, Greipel, Megzec and Petacchi.
Michael Matthew of Orica GreenEdge finished ahead of Simon Gerrans and takes over the lead of the race.
Viviani said: "It's incredible. This year with a new team I have new motivation. We are working for Richie to win the race.
"Hofland did well in Yorkshire and I knew it would be tough but I waited and went to win the stage."