Cancellara captures another prologue at Tour de France
LIEGE, Belgium - Fabian Cancellara gave some joy to his troubled RadioShack Nissan team as the 99th Tour de France began on Saturday, winning his fifth opening-day prologue at cycling's premier race in the same Belgian city where he edged Lance Armstrong eight years ago.
The 31-year-old Swiss rider proved he's positively dominant in the 4-mile race against the clock. This time, Cancellara outclassed another Tour title favorite: Bradley Wiggins, aiming to become the first Briton to win the Tour, was seven seconds behind in second.
Cadel Evans embarked on his title defense in solid form, finishing 13th - but importantly, 10 seconds back of Wiggins, who many see as the main threat to the Australian's hopes of a repeat. Cancellara is unquestionably the world's best time-trial rider, but isn't considered a Tour contender because he often struggles in the mountains.
"What a great opening - again!" Cancellara said. "I did the most I could. It's not always easy. I always do the maximum. ... It's a great feeling and this certainly takes some of the pressure off."
The Tour start offered a welcome return to racing - three weeks and 2,168 miles criss-crossing France, nosing into Switzerland, and scaling climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees before the July 22 finish on Paris' Champs-Elysees. Two other individual time trials await.
RadioShack, built on the remains of teams that Armstrong led to a record seven Tour victories, has faced a rough patch.
Its current leader, Andy Schleck, is staying home to nurse a spinal injury he sustained in a crash in the Criterium du Dauphine this month; team manager Johan Bruyneel - Armstrong's longtime mentor - is staying away to avoid being a distraction to the team and the race over a U.S. anti-doping case targeting him, Armstrong and four others.
