Lars Boom (Rabobank) won the Critérium du Dauphine's opening prologue today, ahead of Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) and Bradley Wiggins (Sky). Defending champion Janez Brajkovic (Radioshack) was 17th.
Boom completed the 5.4km route in the mountain town of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in six minutes and 18 seconds. Vinokourov was just two seconds slower while Wiggins, who had sat atop the leader board for a while, was a further three seconds back.
Aside from a small drag out of the start gate today's parcours was relatively flat, but the shadow's cast by the huge mountains all around Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne are a sign of things to come.
The final three stages of the week long race are all mountainous and will give all the Tour de France contenders riding a chance to test out their climbing legs. How far the likes of Wiggins, Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) and Robert Gesink (Rabobank) push themselves remains to be seen, but with Wednesday's time trial stage almost a carbon copy of the Tour's final TT, the Dauphine remains an essential Tour form guide.
Wiggins placing suggests he's approaching this year's Tour in a form closer to that of 2009 when he finished fourth overall. Geraint Thomas (Sky) may have been expected to place higher, but the Welshman had the misfortune of riding when the roads were wet. The weather dried up later in the day for late starters.
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One ride that went largely un-noticed but needs mentioning is that of Kanstantsin Sivtsov (HTC-Highroad). The Belarusian finished in 161 place, 50 seconds off the pace of Boom, just one week after finishing the Giro d'Italia in tenth.
Britain's Bradley Wiggins tackles the opening climb in the Dauphine prologue
RESULT
Criterium du Dauphine, Prologue: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne 5.4km
1. Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank 6-18 min
2. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana at 2sec
3. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky at 5 sec
4. John Degenkolb (Ger) HTC-Highroad at 6sec
5. Biel Kadri (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at 8sec
6. Joost Posthuma (Ned) Leopard-Trek at 9sec
7. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC at 9sec
8. Christophe Riblon (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at 9 sec
9. Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Saur-Sojasun at 10 sec
10. Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur-Sojasun at 11 sec
British
27. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky at 16 sec
158. Daniel Lloyd (GBr) Garmin-Cervelo at 47 sec
General Classification
1. Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank 6-18 min
2. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana at 2sec
3. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky at 5 sec
4. John Degenkolb (Ger) HTC-Highroad at 6sec
5. Biel Kadri (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at 8sec
6. Joost Posthuma (Ned) Leopard-Trek at 9sec
7. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC at 9sec
8. Christophe Riblon (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at 9 sec
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