The eyes of the sporting world returned to Belfast for the second stage of the 97th Giro d’Italia.
Crowds had turned out in their thousands for the rider presentation ceremony on Thursday, and for the opening stage team time trial on Friday evening.
The first road stage of the 2014 corsa rosa gave those in the towns and villages on the outskirts of the Northern Irish capital a chance to see the riders as they made their way through foul conditions along the stunning Northern Irish coastline.
It was Belfast, however, which again played host to the action after a long-range breakaway had been reeled in to set-up a bunch sprint in the city centre.
Marcel Kittel lived up to the expectations of many by claiming the first victory of his 2014 Giro campaign, but the real winners, for the third day running, were the people of Belfast.
Official UCI WorldTour photographer, Stefano Sirotti, was on hand to capture these stunning images from the day.
