Vini Fantini-Selle Italia was the huge surprise in yesterday's team time trial in the Giro d'Italia as the team took a highly unexpected 5th place. Team manager Luca Scinto was very proud of his riders and now looks ahead to a number of stages in which the team will chase the major target: a stage win.

Few had expected the Vini Fantini-Selle Italia team to be amongst the best in yesterday's Giro d'Italia team time trial. Without any renowned time triallists in the squad the team set out on the 17,4km course mostly to limit the losses of GC captain Mauro Santambrogio.

Instead of starting the next few lumpy stages behind most of his rivals, Santambrogio emerged as one of the big winners in yesterday's collective test. His yellow-clad team surprised the cycling world by delivering a fantastic performance and when Santambrogio, Matteo Rabottini, Stefano Garzelli, Fabio Taborre and Danilo Di Luca crossed the finish line they had only lost 22 seconds to the winning Sky team.

Team manager Luca Scinto was overjoyed.

"What can I say, we are very happy today," he said. "I summarized my thoughts in a tweet where I wrote: "Small team, great riders with a mixture of experience, youth and motivation = excellent result!""

Despite Santambrogio's GC ambitions the team's main focus in this year's Giro is its quest to take a stage win and with a number of lumpy stages coming up on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the team hopes to strike early in the race.

"But we do not rest on our laurels," Scinto said. "The goal is to win a stage and tomorrow is the first stage that really suits us."

With two hard climbs in the final part today's stage could very well end up in a sprint from a reduced peloton in which case Oscar Gatto gives the team plenty of opportunities. At the same time a late attack could also succeed and with the likes of Taborre, Garzelli, Di Luca and maybe even Santambrogio the team has a number of riders capable of blowing the race to pieces.

Starting at 14.15 you can follow the action on CyclingQuotes.com/live.