At first glance Euskaltel Euskadi put on what looked like an alarmingly weak and disorganized team time trial showing on the Giro d'Italia's second stage on Sunday.

Inside the final km, before millions of cycling fans watching worldwide, four orange clad riders abruptly grasped that they were riding in “splendid isolation” up front with the all-important fifth man waning desperately and showing no indications of recuperating.

As Basque fans watched in agony, it made for absurd scenes as team leader Samuel Sánchez and co. were compelled to almost ground to a stand-still in the closing stretches, going on to lose a massive 60 seconds to main GC favourite Bradley Wiggins and his Team Sky companions as man number five, Ricardo Mestre, crossed the line alone long after his team-mates were home and dry.

Unknown to fans and TV pundits alike, Mestre suffered a puncture with a kilometre and half left to ride and instantly dropped back, leaving Sánchez, Gorka Verdugo, Egoi Martínez and Jorge Azanza confused when the Portuguese didn't come through for his final effort at the front.

Whatever the reason, the result leaves Samuel Sánchez well behind in the general classification as the peloton heads back to the mainland after the 17,4km effort against the clock between Ischia and Foria on Monday.

He ceded a minute and one second to Wiggins, 52 seconds to Intxausti, 47 seconds to Nibali, 39 to Scarponi, 36 to Hesjedal and 24 to Evans.

What makes the disillusionment even more difficult to swallow for the Euskaltel riders is the fact that they were off to a more than respectable start and were, as it would be, en route to clock the fourth best time at the finish.

"The riders put in a huge effort and sacrificed themselves for the team, but we just can't seem to get it right in this discipline", a downbeat Gorka Gerrikagoitia said in a post-race comment to Spanish daily Marca. "On this occasion, though, it's down to bad fortune".