Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 98th edition of the Giro d'Italia! Things kick off with a 17.6km team time trial from San Lorenzo al Mare to San Remo on the Ligurian coast in northern Italy.

Many thanks for joining us today for live coverage of the opening stage - be sure to return tomorrow for the first road stage of the race, a 177km slog from Albenga to Genova which should end in a bunch sprint.

Confirmation that the pink jersey is Simon Gerrans, which will be music to the Aussie veteran's ears after a string of setbacks this season. He lives just up the road with his family in Monaco and so it's smiles all round for the man who has career stage wins in all three Grand Tours.

So, that's it. Orica-GreenEdge win the opening team time trial - just like they did last year. Tinkoff-Saxo take second, Astana third after leading for the majority of the event.

Just six riders for FDJ but that's a good time - 26 seconds down for eight place.

Only the 18th best time for Cannondale-Garmin, who come home in a time of 20:19. To think they used to be quite good at this discipline...

So, it's not officially over, but Cannondale and FDJ shouldn't pose Orica-GreenEdge any problems and so it will be a maillot rosa for Simon Gerrans today.

It's not the fastest, but it's a top time for Tinkoff-Saxo, who come home seven seconds down on Orica-GreenEdge in a time of 19:33. Second best for Contador's men, who set down an early marker against the other GC favourites.

Tinkoff-Saxo are roaring along so fast that they've shed three riders, including veteran Basso. Can they topple Orica-GreenEdge and take the pink jersey? They're entering the final kilometre now...

Eighth place for Katusha for now, with a time of 19:53.

Tinkoff-Saxo are two seconds up at the first check, but both Basso and Contador were momentarily distanced just there, so they will lose time bringing it back together.

That's it - the final team rolls down the ramp in the form of FDJ. The French outfit does not have an out-and-out GC riders, but expect to see a fair bit of Kenny Elissonde, Jussi Veikkanen and Kevin Reza, a new recruit from Europcar.

Jurgen van den Broeck looks lean and mean as he drives his Lotto-Soudal team-mates across the line in a time of 19:55. They had just the five riders, including Greipel.

Cannondale-Garmin are the penultimate team to leave the start house today. They have former champion Ryder Hesjedal, former great hope Thomas Danielson and promising tyros Tom Jelte Slagter and Davide Villella.

Not bad from LottoNL-Jumbo, who cross the finish line in a time of 20:02 for ninth place.

The Tinkoff-Saxo team of Alberto Contador roll down the ramp. The Spaniard is the out-and-out favourite to win this Giro, and has a very strong team to support his bid for a rare Giro-Tour double. Veterans Ivan Basso and Sergio Paulinho, climbers Michael Rogers and Roman Kreuziger and the experienced Matteo Tosatto will all be an asset to Contador over the next few weeks.

And here come Orica-GreenEdge... they are looking very solid and it's a question of whom they will put into the pink? It's the best time for GreenEdge - 13 seconds quicker than Astana with a time of 19:26. And it's veteran Simon Gerrans who crosses the line first and is in provisional pink.

CCC Sprandi are 30-odd seconds down in ninth place as they cross the line in a time of 20:11.

The Katusha team of Luca Paolini and surprise Tour of Romandie winner Ilnur Zakarin get their race under way.

Orica-GreenEdge have gone out very quickly - eight seconds faster than anyone else at the first check. But Etixx were also fast out of the traps, before fading. This one is going to do right to the wire.

Just five more teams to start now, starting with the Lotto-Soudal team of Jurgen van den Broeck and Andre Greipel.