Lance Armstrong finished first stage of Giro in 15th position

Avoiding the distraction of a panoramic view of the Venice skyline across the lagoon, Armstrong grimaced as he hauled himself over the line after his impressive Astana team had gone out last.

SHOOT: Lance's Astana team finished 3rd in the prologue, just 16 seconds off the pace. A wind picked up later in the day which cost them dearly.

clipped from www.supersport.com Slightly overcast conditions and a pick up in the wind affected teams going out in the middle while some lost time with lead riders pulling too far ahead of their fifth-placed colleague. The 37-year-old American, who returned to cycling in January after spending more than three years in retirement, had only just recovered from a broken collarbone and lies 15th overall. 1. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Columbia ) 21mins 50secs 2. Marco Pinotti (Italy / Columbia ) Same time 3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway / Columbia ) 4. Michael Rogers (Australia / Columbia ) 5. Thomas Loevkvist (Sweden / Columbia ) 6. Mark Renshaw (Australia / Columbia ) 7. Kanstantin Sivtsov (Belarus / Columbia ) 8. Morris Possoni (Italy / Columbia ) 9. Michael Barry (Canada / Columbia ) +6 10. David Zabriskie (US / Garmin ) 15. Lance Armstrong (US / Astana ) +13