Fabian Cancellara of Team Saxo Bank, the reigning world and Olympic champion in the time trial, did not let down those who called him the favorite in today's Tour de France prologue. With only defending Tour champion Alberto Contador starting after him, Cancellara blazed his way over the prologue course in search of the long-standing time of Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia), set just 20 minutes into the start of the day's racing. It was Cancellara's 63rd career victory and a repeat of his prologue win a year ago in Monaco, putting the Swiss back in the yellow jersey for stage 1 on Sunday.

"Was I nervous? Yes and no," Cancellara said as he settled into his yellow jersey. "When you have nice weather in the beginning and it turns to rain that's never nice, but I knew that in Holland the weather can change a lot."

Martin's time held on for second place, while David Millar of Garmin-Transitions filled out the prlogue podium. Team RadioShack leader and seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong may not have won the prologue but he won the opening mind game against his top rival Contador, beating his former Astana teammate by five seconds. Armstrong finished in a solid fourth place ahead of Geraint Thomas and Contador. Two other Americans, Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) and Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack) also finished in the top ten.

Tony Martin was in the hot seat for three hours, finally conceding to Cancellara in the final minutes of Saturday's prologue

(Photo: Chris Henry)

Cancellara benefitted from his late start to know how his key rivals were performing, including the likes of Lance Armstrong out on the road.

"I don't know if Lance was scared that I was behind him but I had it in my mind to go as fast as possible and... I won't say catch him, but see him," Cancellara said. "For me it was important to be one of the last riders and to have information on the others."

Going Dutch

This year marks the Netherlands' fifth occasion to host the Tour start, and Rotterdam turned out in style to welcome the race, notably with huge crowds on the dramatic Erasmus Bridge. With a World Cup victory in the quarter finals against Brazil, the Dutch were riding high and ready to celebrate the prologue and the opening day of racing.

Starting in the Zuidplan on the south side of the Nieuwe Maas river, the prologue course took riders over the Erasmus Bridge into the heart of Rotterdam before returning to the finish on the Zuiderparkweg for a total of 8.9 kilometers and 10 minutes of pain.

One rider who didn't take the start today was Xavier Florencio, who was pulled from competition by his Cervélo TestTeam on the eve of the prologue upon discovery that he had taken medication to help a saddle sore without authorization of his team doctors, a violation of team policy. Cervélo could not replace him and as a result, team leader Carlos Sastre will count on seven helpers instead of eight.

Tony Martin, the only the 11th of 197 starters, set a blazing time of 10 minutes, 10 seconds through the corridors of noise in Rotterdam. Riders well suited to racing against the clock fell short of the German's time, including the Garmin-Transitions duo of David Zabriskie, who lost 40 and 50 seconds, respectively, and another 10 seconds to Cancellara.

Other favorites for the general classification looked only to limit their losses, including Ivan Basso, Carlos Sastre, and Denis Menchov, who each lost more than 50 seconds to Cancellara. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was Bradley Wiggins, a prologue specialist and would-be contender, who finished 56 seconds down. Andy Schleck didn't fare any better; the newly crowned Luxembourg TT champion lost a painful 1'09" to Cancellara and effectively begins the Tour with a deficit of one minute behind GC rivals Armstrong and Contador.

On the Road

Sunday's stage 1 will see the peloton say "goedag" to the Netherlands as the Tour leaves Rotterdam and covers 223 kilometers on its way to a likely sprint finish in the Belgian capital of Brussels. A scenic route will take the peloton west to the coast and over the numerous bridges the dot the Dutch shoreline before heading inland to Belgium. Winds are expected to be modest but any sustained gusts could create opportunities for the strong teams to take initiative and split the field.

In the end, though, a sprint finish is likely so watch for Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) try to open his account for the 2010 Tour. And with no time bonuses on offer, Cancellara stands a good chance of holding on to his yellow jersey for several days to come, offering an enticing trip over the cobblestones of stage 3 while leading the Tour de France.

Results:

Prologue TT - Rotterdam: 8.9km

1. Fabian Cancellara (SUI) Saxo Bank in 10 minutes 0 sconds

2. Tony Martin (GER) HTC-Columbia at 10 seconds

3. David Millar (GBR) Garmin-Transitions   20 sec

4. Lance Armstrong (USA) RadioShack   22 sec

5. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Team Sky   23 sec

6. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana   27 sec

7. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Transitions   28 sec

8. Levi Leipheimer (USA) RadioShack   s.t.

9. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) Team Sky   32 sec

10. Linus Gerdemann (GER) Milram   35 sec

General classification after prologue:

1. Fabian Cancellara (SUI) Saxo Bank in 10 minutes 0 seconds

2. Tony Martin (GER) HTC-Columbia   at 10 sec

3. David Millar (GBR) Garmin-Transitions   20 sec

4. Lance Armstrong (USA) RadioShack   22 sec

5. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Team Sky   23 sec

6. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana   27 sec

7. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Transitions   28 sec

8. Levi Leipheimer (USA) RadioShack   s.t.

9. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) Team Sky   32 sec

10. Linus Gerdemann (GER) Milram   35 sec

Full Results
Prologue TT - Rotterdam: 8.9km

1. Fabian Cancellara (SUI/SAX)             10min 00sec
  2. Tony Martin (GER/THR)                      at 10sec
  3. David Millar (GBR/GRM)                        20
  4. Lance Armstrong (USA/RSH)                     22
  5. Geraint Thomas (GBR/SKY)                      23
  6. Alberto Contador (ESP/AST)                    27
  7. Tyler Farrar (USA/GRM)                        28
  8. Levi Leipheimer (USA/RSH)                     28
  9. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR/SKY)                32
  10. Linus Gerdemann (GER/MRM)                    35
  11. Brent Bookwalter (USA/BMC)                   35
  12. Adriano Malori (ITA/LAM)                     35
  13. Janez Brajkovic (SLO/RSH)                    35
  14. Michael Rogers (AUS/THR)                     35
  15. Ruben Plaza (ESP/GCE)                        36
  16. Niki Terpstra (NED/MRM)                      36
  17. Andreas Kloeden (GER/RSH)                    36
  18. Vasili Kiryienka (BLR/GCE)                   38
  19. Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ/AST)               38
  20. Roman Kreuziger (CZE/LIQ)                    38
  21. Robert Hunter (RSA/GRM)                      39
  22. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP/GCE)                  39
  23. Cadel Evans (AUS/BMC)                        39
  24. Andriy Grivko (UKR/AST)                      40
  25. David Zabriskie (USA/GRM)                    40
  26. Vladimir Karpets (RUS/KAT)                   40
  27. Manuel Quinziato (ITA/LIQ)                   41
  28. Steve Morabito (SUI/BMC)                     41
  29. Maxime Monfort (BEL/THR)                     41
  30. Kristjan Koren (SLO/LIQ)                     42
  31. Daniel Oss (ITA/LIQ)                         43
  32. Lars Boom (NED/RAB)                          44
  33. Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU/CTT)                44
  34. Rein Taaramae (EST/COF)                      45
  35. Carlos Barredo (ESP/QST)                     46
  36. Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP/SKY)                46
  37. Ryder Hesjedal (CAN/GRM)                     46
  38. Damien Monier (FRA/COF)                      47
  39. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA/LAM)                48
  40. Thomas Loevkvist (SWE/SKY)                   48
  41. Brett Lancaster (AUS/CTT)                    49
  42. Maarten Tjallingii (NED/RAB)                 49
  43. Rui Costa (POR/GCE)                          49
  44. Jerome Pineau (FRA/QST)                      49
  45. Jose Joaquin Rojas (ESP/GCE)                 49
  46. Juergen Van den Broeck (BEL/OLO)             49
  47. Nicolas Roche (EIR/ALM)                      49
  48. Martijn Maaskant (NED/GRM)                   49
  49. Matthieu Ladagnous (FRA/FDJ)                 49
  50. Sandy Casar (FRA/FDJ)                        49
  51. Jeremy Roy (FRA/FDJ)                         49
  52. Jakob Fuglsang (DEN/SAX)                     50
  53. Roger Kluge (GER/MRM)                        50
  54. Simon Gerrans (AUS/SKY)                      50
  55. Grischa Niermann (GER/RAB)                   50
  56. Robert Gesink (NED/RAB)                      51
  57. Alexandr Pliushkin (MDA/KAT)                 51
  58. Chris Horner (USA/RSH)                       52
  59. David Le Lay (FRA/ALM)                       52
  60. Christophe Moreau (FRA/GCE)                  52
  61. Gerald Ciolek (GER/MRM)                      52
  62. Francesco Bellotti (ITA/LIQ)                 53
  63. Christian Knees (GER/MRM)                    53
  64. Sebastien Turgot (FRA/BTL)                   53
  65. Christophe Riblon (FRA/ALM)                  54
  66. Johan Van Summeren (BEL/GRM)                 54
  67. Bram Tankink (NED/RAB)                       54
  68. George Hincapie (USA/BMC)                    54
  69. Sergio Paulinho (POR/RSH)                    54
  70. Carlos Sastre (ESP/CTT)                      54
  71. Imanol Erviti (ESP/GCE)                      55
  72. Ivan Basso (ITA/LIQ)                         55
  73. Dries Devenyns (BEL/QST)                     55
  74. Denis Menchov (RUS/RAB)                      56
  75. Samuel Sanchez (ESP/EUS)                     56
  76. Bert Grabsch (GER/THR)                       56
  77. Bradley Wiggins (GBR/SKY)                    56
  78. Christophe Kern (FRA/COF)                    56
  79. Frank Schleck (LUX/SAX)                      57
  80. Luke Roberts (AUS/MRM)                       57
  81. Adam Hansen (AUS/THR)                        57
  82. Gorka Verdugo (ESP/EUS)                      58
  83. Pavel Brutt (RUS/KAT)                        59
  84. Jens Voigt (GER/SAX)                         59
  85. Ivan Gutierrez (ESP/GCE)                     59
  86. Benoit Vaugrenard (FRA/FDJ)                  59
  87. Sebastian Lang (GER/OLO)                     59
  88. Mirco Lorenzetto (ITA/LAM)                   59
  89. Sylvain Chavanel (FRA/QST)                   59
  90. Daniel Moreno (ESP/OLO)                 1min 00sec
  91. Maarten Wijnants (BEL/QST)                 1:00
  92. Christian Vande Velde (USA/GRM)            1:00
  93. Alessandro Ballan (ITA/BMC)                1:00
  94. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR/RSH)                1:01
  95. Martin Elmiger (SUI/ALM)                   1:01
  96. Juergen Roelandts (BEL/OLO)                1:02
  97. Remi Pauriol (FRA/COF)                     1:02
  98. Mickael Delage (FRA/OLO)                   1:03
  99. Arkaitz Duran (ESP/FOT)                    1:03
  100. Julien El Fares (FRA/COF)                 1:04
  101. Johannes Froehlinger (GER/MRM)            1:04
  102. Christophe Le Mevel (FRA/FDJ)             1:04
  103. Aliaksandr Kuchynski (BLR/LIQ)            1:04
  104. Danilo Hondo (GER/LAM)                    1:05
  105. Mauro Santambrogio (ITA/BMC)              1:05
  106. Maxime Bouet (FRA/ALM)                    1:05
  107. Kevin De Weert (BEL/QST)                  1:05
  108. Stuart O'Grady (AUS/SAX)                  1:06
  109. Anthony Roux (FRA/FDJ)                    1:06
  110. Nicolas Vogondy (FRA/BTL)                 1:06
  111. Robbie McEwen (AUS/KAT)                   1:06
  112. Juan Jose Oroz (ESP/EUS)                  1:06
  113. Steven Cummings (ENG/SKY)                 1:07
  114. Samuel Dumoulin (FRA/COF)                 1:07
  115. Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP/KAT)               1:08
  116. Francesco Reda (ITA/QST)                  1:08
  117. Benjamin Noval (ESP/AST)                  1:08
  118. Mark Renshaw (AUS/THR)                    1:08
  119. Kanstantsin Siutsou (BLR/THR)             1:08
  120. Michael Barry (CAN/SKY)                   1:08
  121. Sebastien Minard (FRA/COF)                1:09
  122. Andy Schleck (LUX/SAX)                    1:09
  123. Iban Mayoz (ESP/FOT)                      1:09
  124. Thomas Rohregger (AUT/MRM)                1:09
  125. Cyril Gautier (FRA/BTL)                   1:09
  126. Charles Wegelius (GBR/OLO)                1:10
  127. Mark Cavendish (IDM/THR)                  1:10
  128. Juan Manuel Garate (ESP/RAB)              1:10
  129. Simon Spilak (SLO/LAM)                    1:10
  130. Markus Eibegger (AUT/FOT)                 1:10
  131. Paolo Tiralongo (ITA/AST)                 1:10
  132. Koos Moerenhout (NED/RAB)                 1:10
  133. Bernhard Eisel (AUT/THR)                  1:11
  134. Nicki Soerensen (DEN/SAX)                 1:12
  135. Gregory Rast (SUI/RSH)                    1:12
  136. Oscar Freire (ESP/RAB)                    1:12
  137. Brian Vandborg (DEN/LIQ)                  1:12
  138. Karsten Kroon (NED/BMC)                   1:13
  139. Jeremy Hunt (GBR/CTT)                     1:13
  140. Damiano Cunego (ITA/LAM)                  1:13
  141. Pierrick Fedrigo (FRA/BTL)                1:13
  142. Fabio Felline (ITA/FOT)                   1:13
  143. Anthony Charteau (FRA/BTL)                1:14
  144. Grega Bole (SLO/LAM)                      1:14
  145. Francesco Gavazzi (ITA/LAM)               1:15
  146. Andreas Klier (GER/CTT)                   1:15
  147. Kevin Seeldraeyers (BEL/QST)              1:16
  148. Mauro Da Dalto (ITA/LAM)                  1:16
  149. Maxim Iglinskiy (KAZ/AST)                 1:16
  150. Stephane Auge (FRA/COF)                   1:16
  151. Daniel Navarro (ESP/AST)                  1:16
  152. Mathieu Sprick (FRA/BTL)                  1:17
  153. Jurgen Van De Walle (BEL/QST)             1:18
  154. Amael Moinard (FRA/COF)                   1:18
  155. Rafael Valls (ESP/FOT)                    1:18
  156. Eros Capecchi (ITA/FOT)                   1:19
  157. Thor Hushovd (NOR/CTT)                    1:19
  158. Stijn Vandenbergh (BEL/KAT)               1:19
  159. Rémy Di Gregorio (FRA/FDJ)                1:19
  160. Mario Aerts (BEL/OLO)                     1:19
  161. Chris Anker Soerensen (DEN/SAX)           1:19
  162. Sylvester Szmyd (POL/LIQ)                 1:20
  163. Lloyd Mondory (FRA/ALM)                   1:20
  164. Dimitri Champion (FRA/ALM)                1:20
  165. Inaki Isasi (ESP/EUS)                     1:21
  166. Matthew Lloyd (AUS/OLO)                   1:21
  167. Egoi Martinez (ESP/EUS)                   1:21
  168. Volodymir Gustov (UKR/CTT)                1:21
  169. Anthony Geslin (FRA/FDJ)                  1:22
  170. John Gadret (FRA/ALM)                     1:22
  171. Julian Dean (NZL/GRM)                     1:22
  172. Matti Breschel (DEN/SAX)                  1:22
  173. Amets Txurruka (ESP/EUS)                  1:22
  174. Yukiya Arashiro (JPN/BTL)                 1:22
  175. Marcus Burghardt (GER/BMC)                1:22
  176. Alexandre Kolobnev (RUS/KAT)              1:23
  177. Daniel Lloyd (ENG/CTT)                    1:23
  178. Jesus Hernandez (ESP/AST)                 1:24
  179. Alan Perez Lezaun (ESP/EUS)               1:24
  180. Serge Pauwels (BEL/SKY)                   1:24
  181. Francis de Greef (BEL/OLO)                1:25
  182. Fabian Wegmann (GER/MRM)                  1:25
  183. Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA/ALM)               1:27
  184. Serguei Ivanov (RUS/KAT)                  1:28
  185. Pierre Rolland (FRA/BTL)                  1:28
  186. Eduard Vorganov (RUS/KAT)                 1:29
  187. Thomas Voeckler (FRA/BTL)                 1:31
  188. David De la Fuente (ESP/AST)              1:31
  189. Iban Velasco (ESP/EUS)                    1:33
  190. Dimitry Muravyev (KAZ/RSH)                1:34
  191. Wesley Sulzberger (AUS/FDJ)               1:37
  192. Aitor Perez (ESP/FOT)                     1:38
  193. Ruben Perez (ESP/EUS)                     1:39
  194. Jose Alberto Benitez (ESP/FOT)            1:40
  195. Matthieu Perget (FRA/GCE)                 1:42
  196. Mathias Frank (SUI/BMC)                   3:32
  197. Manuel Cardoso (POR/FOT)                  6:20