Read a full recap of the Tour of Italy's opening stage team time trial.

15:53 - The first of 2008's major tours starts with a team time trial here in the up-and-coming Sicilian city of Palermo. Stay tuned for live comments and all the latest news from the peloton.

15:53 - Today's opening largely flat and smooth course loops around the centre of the beautiful city of Palermo, starting at the impressive Piazza Politeama and finishing 23.6km later in front of the Teatro Massimo.

16:08 - We pick up the action as Slipstream have just got off. There are now eight teams who have left the start gate. Times coming right up. Astana are next off...

16:11 - Current leaders: Tinkoff at 27:05

16:12 - The weather, while humid, is not great in Palermo. It's not raining now, but there was a bit of water earlier on...

16:12 - Saunier Duval have just gone through the finish, 29 seconds in arrears to take third place. Cofidis are fourth.

16:15 - Sean Yates' Astana team look strong. The pace is high and one rider has been distanced. The same can be said for Slipstream, just further up the road, where one rider has been dropped.

16:16 - At the finish line, Saunier-Duval's Riccardo Ricco is happy with his team's performance.

16:23 - One of the race favourites, Alberto Contador, is currently riding on the back of his Astana snake... they are getting into their rhythm as they pass the sea on the beach side section of the route.

16:22 - Caisse D'Epargne take fourth, 21 seconds behind Tinkoff.

16:21 - Astana are third at the 10km check, nine seconds behind current leaders at that point, Slipstream.

16:17 - Arrival of the Diquigiovanni - Androni team. They almost pip Milram for second, but in the end have to settle for third place, 18 seconds down on current leaders Tinkoff.

16:18 - Paolo Bettini's Quick Step are 18 seconds down after the 10 km mark.

16:18 - A fierce pace by Slipstream sees rider Patrick McCarty completely blown away on one small rise. He will complete the rest of the TTT on his own... that's the second rider the team has lost... Zabriskie and Millar are putting in a titanic effort.

16:20 - Caisse d'Epargne are approaching the finish at the Teatro Massimo... the Spanish outfit are just one rider down...

16:26 - Slipstream smash Tinkoff's time by 33 seconds to blast into the lead. A great effort there... David Millar, the Scot, was so tired that he sat up and rode the last section at a lower pace than his team-mates. Remember, the time given to the team is that of the fifth rider to pass through over the line.

16:28 - I must say, the Tifosi are not really out in their masses today... In this particular section where Astana are roaring past, there is just a splattering of fans...

16:29 - Back at the start, Lampre are poised to start. No Damiano Cunego of course...

16:32 - QuickStep take third, 42 seconds behind that brutal time set by Slipstream.

16:34 - Astana will be next to cross the finish line... they are still riding as nine men, which is promising for directeur sportif Sean Yates. But maybe it also shows that they could have given it some more wellie?

16:38 - Second place for Astana! Current top five leaderboard: Slipstream 26:32, Astana at 29, Tinkoff at 33, QuickStep at 42, Milram at 45.

16:40 - The green shirts of CSF ride past the beach following the half-way stage. Surely they will not ride in the Tour... those shirts would make them all Robbie McEwen class!!

16:42 - David Millar explains why he pulled up at the end and allowed Slipstream team mate Christian Vande Velde cross the line first: "For me the most important was to ride a really good course and for the team to win. Once I knew the finish was in sight I slowed and allowed Christian to lead the team over. He's a great rider and it would be nice for an American to wear the pink jersey tonight."

16:44 - But it is not over yet. Slipstream may have put in a heroic drive, but Team CSC are on the road now and they have set themselves the pink jersey as a target today...

16:46 - Euskaltel come home in drips and drabs, over a minute back. That was quite a mess from the Basque team.. 1'17" down on Slipstream.

16:56 - High Road, formally known as T-Mobile, the next onto the road. Two Brits included - Mark Cavendish and Bradley 'Mod' Wiggins.

16:58 - Lampre cross the line in fifth, 45 seconds off the blistering pace set by Slipstream, whose rider Christian Vande Valde is in provisional pink. No Cunego this year - the Italian is concentrating on the Tour de France.

17:01 - Liquigas are off! Just three more teams to go now, including LPR Brakes, who will be last down the ramp by virtue of Danilo Di Luca's win last year. A win, of course, that came when he was wearing the colours of Liquigas...

17:03 - Francaise des Jeux post a weak time, almost one and a half minutes off the pace... Not their best discipline this.

17:07 - The moment of truth: CSC approach the finish line... will they make up those eight seconds? They have put in a massive dig over the last 5 clicks, and lost one man in the process. A valiant effort: just six seconds off Slipstream. A betting man would put his money on Vande Velde wearing the maglia rosa tonight. That said, the likelihood of a bookie taking bets now is minimal!!

17:15 - From T-Mobile pink to High Road black-and-white... Bradley Wiggins' team are seemingly in disarray. Just over half way through, but they are beginning to split up...

17:15 - LPR Brakes, the final team, get their time trial underway with a roar from the Di Luca supporting crowd.

17:16 - A superb ride by Barloworld: all nine men rip towards the finish line to take third, just 14 seconds down from Slipstream. Astana are edge out to fourth.

17:19 - Di Luca, wearing pink, leads his team LPR Brakes... today starts his quest to be the first back-to-back winner of the Giro since Spaniard Miguel Indurain in the early 90s.

17:21 - They may be down to just six riders, but High Road are now roaring to the finish line... could they create an upset?

17:22 - It's good, but not good enough: third place for High Road, just seven seconds behind Slipstream.

17:25 - Liquigas are also putting in a solid run. Approaching the one-to-go banner, they might well push High Road for third place...

17:26 - It's fourth for Liquigas, nine seconds down on Slipstream. All the teams crossing the line now are putting in impressive times, but it looks like that of Robert Millar's team will not be surpassed.

17:28 - LPR roll round the tight bend at the far end of the course and now, alongside the beach, are making their way back to the finish line, just over 10 km ahead.

17:29 - Gerolsteiner are down to six riders as they go under the one-to-go banner.

17:31 - FIRST GIRO CASUALTY: CSF's Maximiliano Richeze did not start today's race after news broke that he failed a doping test at the recent Circuit de la Sarthe. An early blow for the Giro organisers and their concept of biological passports...

17:33 - Gerolsteiner cross the line in 12th, 54 seconds off the pace.

17:34 - Silence-Lotto all over the place: every corner sees them split apart. On one occasion, four riders broke clear... which would have been perilous at the finish line seeing that the time is taken as the fifth rider crosses the line. They come together, but then split up again... a terribly erratic conclusion to their TTT by Robbie McEwen's outfit.

17:37 - Our first message of the day comes all the way from Iceland: "This is a great day, and you guys are doing a good job. I would like to send a greeting to all the cycling fans who are watching. (all the way from Iceland)From HFR cycling team in Iceland. www.hfr.is Best regards, Sigmundur Grétar Hermannsson" Many thanks Sigmundur.

17:39 - Silence-Lotto finish 1'18" down on Slipstream. They will no doubt be on the receiving end of a roasting from their directeur sportif for that ragged display. That said, they're hear for stage wins from Robbie McEwen... this was never a priority for the team.

17:40 - LPR, the final team on the road, cross the banner... it's a good time, but will not put them into the mix.

17:41 - Di Luca leads home four team-mates across the finish line to take sixth place, 28 seconds down.

17:46 - So, it's the maglia rosa for Christian Vande Velde after he lead his Slipstream team over the line with the best time here in Palermo.

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