Cancellara powers to win

Swiss time-trial ace dominates Tour de France opener

By Graeme Mair   Last updated: 4th July 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Cancellara powers to win

Cancellara: demolished rivals

I am very proud. I did the maximum I could do.

Fabian Cancellara
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Saxo Bank's Fabian Cancellara stormed to victory in the opening time-trial at the Tour de France.

The Swiss rider covered the 15.5-kilometre route around Monaco in 19 minutes and 32 seconds to claim the yellow jersey.

He finished 18 seconds ahead of pre-race favourite Alberto Contador, with Britain's Bradley Wiggins a further second behind in third place.

Cancellara, the Olympic time-trial champion, was one of the later starters on a muggy day in the principality and proved too powerful for his rivals over the short course.

"I am very proud," he said. "I did the maximum I could do."

Contador, who was named Astana leader by team manager Johan Bruyneel, lived up to the expectations and stamped his authority on the squad with a solid performance.

Neither German Andreas Kloeden, fourth, nor Americans Levi Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong, sixth and 10th respectively, could upset the team hierarchy.

"I am in good form, I now hope to stay at that level," said Contador, who won the Tour de France in 2007.

"The atmosphere within the team is good. We must work together to win this Tour de France."

Armstrong return

Armstrong, returning to the race for the first time in four years, clocked a respectable time of 20 minutes and 12 seconds.

The American, 37, won the Tour de France a record seven times in a row from 1999-2005 and came out of retirement at the start of the season to try for an eighth success.

"I was a bit nervous but that is logical," Armstrong said. "I'm just happy to be here even if we don't win today because there are a lot of other things I could be doing right now.

"It is a difficult course for sure but I think it is difficult for everybody. It is very technical, it is hard to find a rhythm but that's logical after years away.

"What a beautiful race. It was fun. I felt pretty good, overall, I feel good. I was a little bit all over the place."

Defending champion Carlos Sastre limited the damage, finishing 21st, one minute and six seconds behind Cancellara, while last year's runner-up Cadel Evans, gunning to become the first Australian to win the Tour, was in fifth place, 23 seconds adrift.

Giro d'Italia champion Denis Menchov started his Tour campaign in disappointing fashion, one minute and 31 seconds back in 53rd.

British sprint sensation Mark Cavendish was 177th out of 180, three minutes and 14 seconds slower than Cancellara.

The Team Columbia rider has high hopes of equalling, or even bettering, his haul of four stage wins in 2008.

His first chance is likely to come in stage two on Sunday when the peloton is due to cover 187km from Monaco to Brignoles.

Stage one result
1 F Cancellara (Switzerland/Saxo Bank) 19mins 32sec
2 A Contador (Spain/Astana) +18"
3 B Wiggins (Britain/Garmin) +19"
4 A Kloeden (Germany/Astana) +22"
5 C Evans (Australia/Silence-Lotto) +23"
6 L Leipheimer (US/Astana) +30"
7 R Kreuziger (Czech Republic/Liquigas) +32"
8 T Martin (Germany/Columbia) +33"
9 V Nibali (Italy/Liquigas) +37"
10 L Armstrong (US/Astana) +40"