Team Saxo Bank convincingly initiated this year's Tour de France with a beautiful prologue victory taken by the Swiss time trial phenomenon, Fabian Cancellara on determined will power and technical sovereignty which crushed all competition. It was his third Tour de France prologue win. In 2007, London, in 2009 Monaco, in 2010 Rotterdam.

The 8.9 kilometers long Dutch course in Rotterdam was characterized by both cold showers which made the surface slippery and extremely dangerous and dry roads which allowed some riders to take bends at full pace.

Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia) did the course as one of the very first today which gave him dry roads while all other top favorites had to cope with the slippery rainy surface. He finished second.

”The rain made the course completely different from the one we trained on yesterday but I had to give it everything in order not to lose too much time. I have done all I could to be prepared for the race and it's too late to do anything else than just to do the race and I am very excited about it,” said Andy about today's Tour de France prologue.

Andy ended in 122th place with 1.09 minute to Cancellara.

Andy says on twitter: "TT done happy this is over!!! congrats to Fabu,now the tour starts okay I admit I had a real shit day!"