Swiss champion matches 2004 result over near-identical course; Wiggins second ahead of the other favourites
History repeated itself in the 2012 Tour de France prologue around the Belgian city of Liège, as Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) repeated his 2004 victory over a near-identical course. The Swiss time trial champion completed the 6.4km course, which was 300 metres longer than that of eight years previously, in a time of 7’13”, in an average speed of 53.2kph, to take the first yellow jersey of the race.
His fifth victory on the Tour’s opening day – with his two Liège wins added to that of London 2007, Monaco 2009, and Rotterdam 2010 – saw the four-time World time trial champion equal the outright record of French legend Bernard Hinault.
“This win today gives me a lot of motivation for what is yet to come,” said Cancellara after being presented with his Maillot Jaune. “With the past that I’ve had after my crash [when he shattered his collarbone in the Ronde van Vlaanderen in April – ed] and a difficult few months, I think that I couldn’t ask for a better beginning than to have another win on the opening day. It’s just great. I’m happy and, most of all, a lot of pressure has gone away.”
Cancellara was the fastest rider at the halfway point of the stage, crossing the 3.5km checkpoint on the Quai de la Goffe a second faster than long-standing leader Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), and reached the line an incredible seven seconds quicker than overall race favourite Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), who had finished a little under nine minutes previously.
French time trial champion Chavanel’s time was good enough for third place, less than half a second behind Wiggins.
“I just focused on myself,” Cancellara explained. “With Bradley and other riders do things their way but a time trial – a prologue in particular – is… well today it felt like today it was a 6.4 kilometre velodrome. It felt like I was in a tunnel: I had to focus on myself, not look left or right or pay attention to other riders. This is what I’ve done; I’m a specialist at doing that and today was another demonstration.
“It’s always important to win,” he added. “That’s how it is. And, with the memories of eight years ago, it’s even more special today. I just put everything on the road. It was what I wanted to do today – to win! It’s always exciting. When you’re 23 years old and you come to the Tour and win by beating Lance it’s cool and, eight years later, to show again that you’re still able to handle makes it a great day.”
It could have all been so different however, as two of the day’s favourites, in Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) and World time trial champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), who both fell victim to incidents that cost them time. Sagan took one of the course’s switchback corners too quickly, and was forced to unclip his foot to avoid crashing, while Martin – who had matched teammate Chavanel at halfway – suffered a technical problem and was forced to change bikes.
“It’s a great day for me and my family and, for sure, it’s a great opening day for the team,” said Cancellara. “I wouldn’t say that we’ve already done everything that’s necessary at this Tour – we’ve just had a great opening. I think a lot of pressure went away. With a big team like what we have, it’s normal to have pressure but everyone has pressure because everyone wants to have success. To get success is never easy. When you have ups and downs, it’s even harder but when you’re on top they say it’s easy but it never is!
“Now the Tour can start and tomorrow we’re going to see a great RadioShack-Nissan team.”
A warm, dry day for a near repeat of 2004
The course for the 2012 prologue was almost identical to that of 2004, where Cancellara first burst onto the Tour de France scene, but for a few small changes, as Jean-Francois Pescheux, technical director of the Tour de France, explained.
“We added 300 metres to avoid a section of the course that was no longer feasible with the urban developments that have been made since then,” he said. “But this is not the only change. It’s quite difficult to compare the times of 2004 with those of today.”
Cancellara won that day in 6’50”, over the 6.1km course.
Argos-Shimano’s Tom Veelers had the honour of getting the 2012 Tour de France under way, but his time of 7’47” was immediately eclipsed by Australian road race champion Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge), who went five seconds quicker with 7’42”. Fourth to start however, was Astana’s Ukrainian champion Andriy Grivko, who knocked 14 seconds of the Australian’s time with 7’28”.
The Ukrainian’s time was barely threatened until two Briton’s pushed him close towards the end of the first hour. Steve Cummings (BMC Racing) was just a second behind Grivko at halfway, but lost two more on the way to the finish, while David Millar (Garmin-Sharp) – who had been a doubtful starter just a few days before as he suffered from a stomach bug – was six seconds down at the halfway point, but accelerated in the second half, and was just three down at the finish.
Eight riders later however, Brett Lancaster (Orica-GreenEdge) finally went quicker than Grivko. The Australian was three seconds faster after 3.5km, and managed to take another one in the second half of the course to finish in 7’24”, four seconds quicker than the Astana rider to take the provisional lead.
Ten minutes later though, Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) flew through the halfway point just fractions of a second slower than Lancaster, and managed to hold it to the finish to cross the line fractions of a second faster.
Sylvain Chavanel flies the flag for France in Belgium
A little over half an hour after Boasson Hagen had crossed the line, Chavanel went fastest at halfway. The French champion crossed the Quai de la Goffe in 3’35”, three seconds faster than Lancaster, and managed to maintain his storming pace to cross the finish line in 7’20”.
“Since the beginning of the season I’ve been doing good time trials and I’ve thought about this prologue nonstop for three days,” Chavanel told the French television cameras afterwards. “But now we must now wait, because of those who come after, there are pure beasts who can churn huge gears. I was on a 54×11, but I kept on top of it almost all the time.”
Home favourite Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing), dressed in the colours of the Belgian time trial champion, rode through a corridor of noise and was just two seconds behind Chavanel at the halfway point. The Classics specialist faded a little in the second half however, and was six seconds slower at the finish to slot into provisional fourth.
George Hincapie (BMC Racing) set a new record as the only rider to have started seventeen Tours de France, and the veteran American’s time of 7’33” gave him an outside chance of taking the yellow jersey for the second time in his final appearance in the race.
Many pundits’ favourite for the stage Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) almost lost it on a corner. The Slovakian managed to remain upright but was forced to hurriedly tear his left foot out of his pedal and had lost a considerable amount of time as he reached the 3.5km check. The incident meant that he was nine seconds down at the halfway point, and that gap had grown to 16 seconds as he hit the finish line.
Shortly behind Sagan, 23-year-old American Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) was riding smoothly, and was just six seconds down at halfway. The BMC Racing rider managed to increase his pace over the second half, and was only three seconds down at the finish to slot into provisional second place.
Disaster strikes the World champion as the Olympic champion gets going
Resplendent in his rainbow skinsuit, and wearing a new Specialized S-Works + McLaren TT helmet, Martin passed through the halfway point in the same time as Chavanel, and looked to be heading for the race lead. Disaster struck shortly afterwards however, as he was forced to change his bike and, despite powering around the remainder of the course, crossed the line 16 seconds behind his French teammate.
Newly crowned Russian time trial champion Denis Menchov (Katusha) crossed the line in 7’26”, as the best of the overall contenders so far, but Wiggins was out on the course behind him. The British rider had been six seconds behind Chavanel and Martin at the halfway point, but the Olympic Pursuit champion managed to accelerate in the second half to finish just under half a second quicker than Chavanel to take the provisional lead.
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Giro d’Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) finished in a respectable 7’31” just eleven seconds behind Wiggins, while Italian favourite Vincenzo Nibali was faster than the British rider at halfway, but ten seconds behind at the finish.
The real threat to Wiggins though was coming from Cancellara, who was one second faster than Chavanel and Martin at the halfway point. Defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) was also faster than big rival Wiggins at 3.5km, but six seconds behind Cancellara.
Cancellara blasted into the finishing straight, to stop the clock in 7’13”, taking seven seconds out of Wiggins, and the provisional lead with only Evans to come. The Australian had faded a little in the second half however, and was 17 seconds down at the finish, conceding ten to Wiggins.