Giro d'Italia Stage 2: Sky's Viviani wins in Genoa, Matthews of Orica-GreenEdge back in pink

Team Sky’s Elia Viviani has taken the first Giro d’Italia stage win of his career in Genoa this afternoon from LottoNL-Jumbo’s Moreno Hofland, with Andre Greipel of Lotto-Soudal, who had gone early, third in a scrappy finish in Genoa.

Michael Matthews of Orica-GreenEdge, who had a spell in the race leader’s maglia rosa last year, is back in it on countback, taking over from team mate Simon Gerrans.

Today’s 173km stage from Albenga was always going to be one for the sprinters to contest the finish, but a series of crashes on the first of two closing circuits in the Ligurian capital, Genoa, caused splits in the peloton.

While Tinkoff-Saxo’s Alberto Contador, the pre-race favourite, Sky’s Richie Porte and Rigoberto Uran of Etixx-Quick Step were safely in the front group, others with eyes on the maglia rosa in Milan in three weeks’ time had to chase to try and limit their losses.

Those included 2012 overall winner Ryder Hesjedal of Garmin-Barracuda and AG2R’s Domenico Pozzovivo, his team mates dropping back to try and pace him back on.

Contador’s Tinkoff-Saxo, despite lacking a sprinter, towed the peloton through the closing kilometres of the stage which followed much of the route in reverse of Milan-San Remo to keep their team leader out of trouble.

Orica-GreenEdge, looking to set up Matthews, and Lampre-Merida, led out a reduced bunch for the sprint, but it was Sky’s Viviani who came through to claim his maiden Grand Tour stage.