Brad McGee (FDJeux.com), winner of the prologue in last year’s Tour de France, added the Giro d’Italia prologue to his palmares in Genoa on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Australian won the difficult 6.9km prologue through the streets of this city and donned the overall leader's maglia rosa, finishing10 seconds faster than Germany's Olaf Pollack (Gerolsteiner) and 20 seconds up on Yaroslav Popovych (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago).

It wasn’t exactly a ride in the park for the young Aussie. McGee said he banged his left knee against the frame of his bike when he braked hard to avoid hitting spectators who crossed the route early in the day.

Pretty in pink?

Photo: Graham Watson

"The knee started to swell up, so I iced it, but we'll have to see how it is after a night's rest," he said.

And the end of his race had its moment of drama, too, as McGee found himself obstructed by another rider and the race motorbikes in the final bend.

" I wouldn't have been very happy to have lost the prologue like that,” he said. “But it soon sorted itself out. Prologues suit me, and I'm more and more confident at the start of this type of race."

Defending champion Gilbert Simoni (Saeco) fared better than the man regarded as his major rival for overall honors, Stefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola); Simoni finished 15th, 35 seconds off the pace, while Garzelli was 57th at 46 seconds slower than McGee.

McGee, who finished third in the prologue in his only previous attempt at the Giro, had come into the race in fine form, having won the prologue in the Tour of Romandie.

Sunday's first stage is a 143km leg from Genoa to Alba. –Copyright 2004/AFP