CASALINCONTRADA - Alessandro Fancellu took the first stage of the Giro d'Abruzzo Carta Giovani Nazionale. The Lombard rider from MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort won the Cupello-Casalincontrada stage, attacking inside the final kilometer on the final climb to the finish line, edging out the closest rivals by two seconds. The opening stage of the third edition of the Giro d'Abruzzo, sponsored by RCS Sport, featured a long breakaway by Emanuele Ansaloni and Filippo D'Aiuto. The latter, thanks to the points earned at the Colle dei Ferrari climb, earned the first Maglia Azzurra. The leading pair's efforts were cancelled out by the peloton with 1,500 meters to go.