America's Christian Vandevelde put on the leader's maglia rosa after his Slipstream team won the opening team time-trial stage of the 2008 Giro d'Italia on Saturday.

Vandevelde was one of five riders from the new American team - nicknamed the Argyle Armada - to cross the line together after the 23.6-km course around Palermo.

Slipstream set a time of 26 minutes 32 seconds in the Sicilian capital, beating Team CSC by six seconds and Bradley Wiggens' High Road by seven seconds.

In a roadside interview after the team's ride, Briton David Millar, who was one of four Slipstream riders to finish off the pace of the Vandevelde quintet, said it was a pre-arranged strategy to let the American take the pink jersey.

"For me the most important was to ride a really good course and for the team to win," Millar told Rai Sports. "Once I knew the finish was in sight I slowed and, as arranged, allowed Christian to lead the team over. He's a great rider and it would be nice for an American to wear the maglia rosa tonight."

It was a titanic performance from Slipstream and in particular the four riders who finished alongside Vandevelde - Julian Dean, Magnus Backstedt, Ryder Hesjedal and the moustachioed David Zabriskie.

Vandevelde will now wear pink during Sunday's 207-km second stage of the three-week race, from the stylist beach resort of Cefalu to Agrigento, renowned for its fine temples.

LPR Brakes, the team of current Giro champion Danilo Di Luca, finished in sixth place, 28 seconds in arrears, while the Italian's former team, Liquigas, took fourth, eight seconds down.

Astana, the team of pre-race favourite, and reigning Tour de France champion, Alberto Contador, posted the seventh best time, 29 seconds adrift.

The race got off to a miserable start when it emerged that one rider had been excluded after news broke of a failed doping test in a previous race.

Argentinian Maximiliano Richeze, of the Continental Pro team CSF Group Navigare, tested positive for a banned substance in the recent Circuit de la Sarthe, meaning his Italian side started the Giro with only eight riders.

Although the positive test did not relate to an offence committed during the Giro itself, it will be a blow for the race organisers, who this year have insisted on each rider carrying a special biological passport in a bid to crack down on performance-enhancing offences.

Stage One times:

1. Slipstream 26 mins 32 secs

2. Team CSC +6 secs

3. High Road +7"

4. Liquigas +9"

5. Barloworld +14"

6. Team LPR +28"

7. Astana +29"

8. Tinkoff +33"

9. Quick-Step +42"

10. Lampre +45"

11. Milram +45"

12. Diquigiovanni +51"

13. Gerolsteiner +54"

14. Caisse d'Epargne +54"

15. Saunier Duval +1:02"

16. Rabobank +1:04"

17. AG2R +1:05"

18. Cofidis +1:05"

19. CSF Group +1:15"

20. Euskaltel +1:17"

21. Silence - Lotto +1:18"

22. Francaise des Jeux +1:26"

Felix Lowe / Eurosport