The Giro d’Italia began in San Lorenzo Mare on Saturday with the stage one team time trial. The 17.6km course was run along the coast on a narrow bike path that included multiple tunnel passages. In the 98th edition of the Giro d’Italia Cannondale-Garmin stopped the clock at 20:19 (51.97 km/hr) for 18th place.

“Twenty eight seconds separate sixth place from 18th place,” said Sport Director Charly Wegelius. “That isn’t that much. When you look at the composition of our team, with so many guys who are better suited to the medium mountain stages and the high mountain stages, that is a decent ride.”

“You can see that there’s a group of five or six teams that were very, very close,” Wegelius added. “They were racing on a slightly different level. Below that, it’s mostly homogenous. With the varying wind conditions and the team we had here, I think the team executed a good race. Tactically they rode well.”

With the mix of youth and experience among the Cannondale-Garmin squad in Italy, Wegelius is aware that a large part of his role in catering to the varying needs of his diverse squad. He is equally aware of the incredible learning experiences the team is able to offer these young riders.

“The mood in the team is extremely positive,” said Wegelius. “We’ve got some riders who are having their first experience at the Giro. They’ve got a fairly unique reference point to learn from in the shape of Ryder, who has won the Giro. That’s something different than what most teams can offer to a rider doing a race like this – an opportunity to learn from someone with that kind of knowledge and see them in action where they achieved such an important result.”

The first road stage of the Giro d’Italia comes on Sunday. It’s one of the few stages where a sprint finish seems almost inevitable.

“The sprinters can be really confident about going to the finish with a sprinter’s group tomorrow,” said Wegelius. “The day offers less opportunity for us compared to some of the later stages in the week, but the whole of the Giro is different to the Tour de France in that way. In the Tour the mountain ranges are very clearly defined between the Pyrenees and the Alps. With the geography of Italy, the Giro offers opportunities all over the place.”

“I think stages three and four are going to be very interesting,” Wegelius continued. “I see a lot of chances for us as the race progresses.”