Britain's Bradley Wiggins won the opening leg of the Giro d'Italia, beating world champion Cadel Evans by two seconds Saturday. In wet and windy weather in the Dutch capital, Wiggins finished the 8.4-km team time trial in 10 minutes, 20 seconds. Riding the Giro for the first time in eight years, Evans of Australia finished in a tie for second with American newcomer Brent Bookwalter. Astana's Alexandre Vinokourov was five seconds back followed by Wiggins' teammate at newly established Sky Team, Greg Henderson of New Zealand. Wiggins' winning momentum started with an early charge from the start ramp. He maintained his blistering pace through the circuit's tight turns and long straights, showing no signs of fatigue as he crossed the line, a stone's throw away from Amsterdam's picturesque Olympic Stadium. Defending champion Denis Menchov of Rabobank skipped the peloton to focus on Tour de France preparations while Lance Armstrong is featuring in the Tour of California, which begins May 16. The 3,433-km course winds its way toward the central city of Utrecht Sunday in another flat 213-km second stage. The third leg is also in the Netherlands with riders heading south to the University city of Middelburg before moving to Italy on Wednesday after a day's rest. The Giro, which also started in the northern city of Groningen in 2002, is returning to the Netherlands for the second time in race history.
