Cycling is a sport of unparalleled extremes – from the sheer joy of the winners to the bitter disappointment of defeat.

And stage one of the Giro d’Italia, a team time trial in Belfast, gave us the perfect example of both.

For birthday boy Svein Tuft (Orica-GreenEDGE) it was the spoils of victory – top spot on the podium for stage winners Orica-GreenEDGE and the Canadian in veteran in the maglia rosa.

For Irishman Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) however, his race was over no sooner than it had started after a heavy crash resulted in a suspected broken collarbone.

But what did the riders have to say about the first stage of the 97th Giro? From congratulations to Tuft, to sympathies for Martin we have rounded up some of the best Twitter reaction. Check it out below.