Giro d'Italia Donne 2022 - First Grand Tour of the season begins with Cagliari time trial

KRISTEN FAULKNER WINS STAGE 1 OF THE GIRO DONNE

She's been sitting in that hotseat for a while and seems to have enjoyed every minute of it. The former Harvard rower will be the first maglia rosa. How long can she keep it?

17TH FOR MARTA CAVALLI

The Italian favourite finishes within striking distance of the riders she'll be vying for the title, 17 seconds down on Faulkner.

No pressure on the SD Worx rider, but she takes the mid-point hairpin a little too wide and loses her rear wheel slightly, but stays upright and powers on.

Not what anyone wants with a deep section front wheel and full disc on the back. The windsurfers are certainly enjoying it more than Sarah Roy (Cayon-Sram) who had to really battle the bike and missed a corner. The Australian still managed a respectable time, just outside the top 15.

Two of our picks, Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine) and Juliette Labous (Team DSM) have begun their rides.

Six seconds shy of Faulkner's time, showing how good her form is, and reinforcing what a rider that was from the American.

CECILIE UTTRUP LUDWIG ARRIVES AT THE FINISH

The uber likeable Danish rider launches out of the saddle to get every last watt out of her legs in the final few metres. She should be satisfied to come in 22 seconds down on Faulkner.

LOTTE KOPECKY DOWN THE RAMP

The Belgian national champion's kit always looks powerful, especially when applied to a skinsuit, but the Strade Bianche and Tour of Flanders might prefer not to be wearing black in this heat. Don't tell me it doesn't actually make a difference, because I've looked into it and the science is clear..ly inconclusive. All I can say is I was out in a black t-shirt the other day and it was very uncomfortable.

But back to Kopecky, with her explosive abilities, she could well be the first rider in a while to trouble the top five. Let's see, eh?

Apart from being from the "Halibut Fishing Capital of the World" - also nicknamed the "the cosmic hamlet by the sea" - Kristen Faulkner is something of an enigma. Although she's only been riding professionally since 2020, she's not one of the younger riders in the race. At 29 years, 194 days, ProCyclingStats has her listed as the 36th oldest of 144 competitors.

In the two and a half seasons she's been racing at this level, Faulkner has made quite an impact, winning three races - Stage 4 of the Tour de l'Ardèche in 2020, a stage of the Tour of Norway last year, and the Tour de Suisse time trial just last week where she came 2nd overall. She also finished 3rd at Itzulia (Tour of the Basque to you and me) so don't put it past her to make a real GC challenge here in Italy.

NEW TOP FIVE

Dominated by two teams, BikeExchange-Jayco and TrekSegafredo.

1. Kristen Faulkner (Team BikeExchange - Jayco) 5"45 - 49.043kph
2. Georgia Baker (Team BikeExchange - Jayco) +4s
3. Elisa Balsamo (Trek Segafredo) +6s
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek Segafredo) +9s
5. Lucinda Brand (Trek Segafredo) +9s

KRISTEN FAULKNER SETS THE NEW BEST TIME!

I told you to watch for her, didn't I? The first rider to go over 49kph, improving on Baker's time by a solid four seconds. 5.45 is going to take some beating. The American might be in the hotseat for a while...

I've also just found out that she's from a town called Homer, in Alaska. Could she be the first Alaskan ever to win a Grand Tour stage?

Squeezing her way between Baker and Longo Borghini, missing out on top spot by a measly two seconds. Great ride from the road world champion.

Again, all bunched together for some reason. Faulkner won the time trial at the recent Tour de Suisse, albeit over a course five times as long.

12.53pm - Kristen Faulkner (Team BikeExchange - Jayco)
12.55pm - Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ)
12.56pm - Mikayla Harvey (Canyon//SRAM Racing)
12.59pm - Brodie Chapman (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope)
1.00pm - Lucinda Brand (Trek Segafredo)
1.01pm - Elena Cecchini (Team SD Worx)

THE LEADER IN THE CLUBHOUSE

We may not have live moving pictures for another 22 minutes, but some lovely stills are coming through. Here's our virtual maglia rosa, in magisterial tuck, on her way to the hot seat. And it's very hot at the moment in Cagliari - a balmy, palmy 30 degrees celsius.

CURRENT TOP 5 AT THE FINISH

With 42 riders already off the ramp, we have a surprise leader in the hotseat. Georgia Baker of BikeExchange Jayco has set a blisteringly fast time of 5 minutes, 49 seconds, for an average speed nudging 50kph. Elisa Longo-Borghini was a relatively sizeable five seconds slower, with Annemiek van Vleuten a further second back.

1. Georgia Baker (Team BikeExchange - Jayco) 5”49s - 48.481kph
2. Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek Segafredo) +5s
3. Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) +6s
4. Marianne Vos (Jumbo Visma) +10s
5. Julie Leth (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) +21s

Sadly, we won’t be able to watch them. Due to reasons beyond Eurosport’s control the live TV coverage begins after many of the big names will have completed their race against the clock.

Due, we assume, to expected conditions on the ground, several of the favourites are due to roll down the ramp early and in quick succession.

12.04pm (BST) - Marianne Vos (Jumbo Visma)
12.08pm - Elise Chabbey (Canyon Sram)
12.09pm - Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar)
12.11pm - Emilia Fahlin (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope)
12.12pm - Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo)
12.13pm - Christine Majerus (Team SD Worx)

Floortje Mackaij (Team DSM) was set to start her ride a minute behind Annemiek van Vleuten but will not start the race due to illness.

Welcome to live coverage of the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia Donne.

We’re using the phrase “opening stage” under advisement, for while the organisers are calling it Stage 1, when a stage race begins with a time trial of less than 9km, it’s typically referred to as a prologue. On the one hand, this being a 4.75km cronometro, it certainly meets the specifications. On the other, prologues have all but gone out of fashion in recent years.

Cagliari, Sardinia’s capital and largest city, is where we lay our scene.

As hilly as the surrounding area is, this race against the clock doesn’t offer as much of a speed bump by way of elevation. The riders could probably afford to tackle the course using a single chainring, if not quite a fixie. They won’t though. Instead they’ll be riding big aero beasts, with gears the size of which would make you weep.

Let’s go!