Olympic time trial gold medalist Fabian Cancellara has won the opening prologue of the 2009 Tour de France in Monaco, 18 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Alberto Contador.
Team Saxo Bank rider Cancellara proved his class as a time triallist on the steep and technical course, setting a time of 19min32secs after Levi Leipheimer of Astana had set the early pace.
Second-placed Astana team leader Contador was 18 seconds behind the Swiss rider, thus sending out a clear statement of intent to his rivals - including Astana team-mate Lance Armstrong.
British time trial specialist Bradley Wiggins came in third in an encouraging start to his 2009 Tour for Garmin Slipstream, 19secs behind the winner, with Astana's Andreas Kloden in fourth, 22sec back.
The 2008 winner Carlos Sastre of the Cervelo Test Team went out last of all and ended up in 21st, 1min6secs down. Andy Shleck was exactly a minute behind his team-mate Cancellara, with David Millar of Garmin-Slipstream in 14th place, 48secs back.
Seven-time winner Armstrong, competing in his first Tour since 2005, was 40secs back in tenth place, a more than respectable position from where he'll be confident of getting into the mix for the general classification.
Team Colombia's British rider Mark Cavendish, who famously won four stages of the 2008 Tour, came in 177th, more than three minutes behind the winner, but the Manxman will be looking to make an impression in tomorrow's stage between Monaco and Brignoles, where a sprint finish is expected.
The fourth and final British rider in the Tour, Charlie Wegelius of Silence-Lotto, was 92nd.
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