Astana and Trek-Segafredo Women won the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia virtual on Sunday.

The Astana Pro Team of Alexey Lutsenko and Davide Martinelli and the Trek-Segafredo Women's Team of Elisa Longo Borghini and Lizzie Deignan set the fastest times in their respective categories over the 32km course.

The first stage of the Giro d'Italia Virtual was the 10th stage of the 2020 Giro d'Italia from Controguera to Tortoreto, with an elevation gain of 480 meters.

The Astana Pro Team recorded the fastest time of 1 hour 35 minutes 04 seconds, with the second Italian National Team of Elia Viviani and Samuele Zoccalato by 6 minutes 46 seconds; third was the Bahrain McLaren Team of Fred Wright and Grega Bole by 9 minutes 40 seconds.

Lutsenko posted the fastest individual time of 44:41.

In the women's pink race, the Trek Segafredo team of Longo Borghini and Deignan recorded a combined time of 2:10:04, 4:18 ahead of the second-place Italian National Team, Maria Giulia Confalonieri and Arianna Fidanza, The Movistar team finished third, 11:03 behind.

Longo Borghini recorded the fastest individual time of 1:01:02.

Viviani is the current European champion, racing for the trade team Cofidis.

"This whole effort is really great," said Viviani. It's good to see the sport of cycling finding new ways to give something back to its fans while raising money for the Italian Red Cross at a time like this." As an athlete, I am more than happy to participate. It's a genuine challenge for the riders because they are pedaling a simulation of the climb with the precision of the real thing. It's a great experience and I recommend it."

The Giro d'Italia Virtual will offer seven stages between April 18 and May 10. The event will allow participants to compete in each stage with their own times. Each stage must be completed within the three-day time limit and the run must be uploaded.

Stage 1 will run through April 21.

Stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia Virtual will take place April 22-24. It is the 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia from Linalo to Soriano al Rubicone, 32.7 km with a height difference of 980 m. [Registration will be divided into four categories: amateur, legendary, professional, and women, each with a separate overall ranking.

The top finishers for both men and women will receive a Maglia Rosa, young riders will receive a white jersey (Maglia Bianca), professionals will receive a team class, and riders who record the top speed in each stage will receive a Maglia Garmin.

Giro d'Italia Virtual, in partnership with Rete del Dono, will raise vital funds for the Italian Red Cross' COVID-19 initiative.