Swiss time trial specialist Fabian Cancellara the Prologue of the Tour of Rhodes, an individual time trial over 3.4 kilometres. The Mapei-Quick Step Young Group rider averaged 51 km/h and finished with a 6 second advantage over Belgian Marc Streel (Colnago-Landbouwkredit) and Fabian's teammate Michael Rogers.
Cancellara, who won the very same prologue and final classifications at the Tour of Rhodes in 2001, made the most of his expertise as an against the clock rider over the flat parcours that was marked by a very strong wind that hindered the racers' performance over the final 1,500 metres. Even with the strong wind Cancellara finished the race 10" quicker than last year.
"Today's race confirmed that I am ever improving and that I have got over the problems with my back that I had after a car accident I was in last week," said the 21 year old from Bern. "I am also very happy with the excellent performances of my teammates Rogers and Sinkewitz who finished in 3rd and 6th positions respectively. Their results will help us rely on team work in the next stages; our objective is that of winning the Yellow Jersey for the final classification."
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Mapei-Quick Step 4.00 (51.0 km/h) 2 Marc Streel (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 0.06 3 Michael Rogers (Aus) Mapei-Quick Step 4 Chris Newton (GBr) Great Britain 0.07 5 Michael Sandstod (Den) Team CSC Tiscali 6 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) Mapei-Quick Step 0.08 7 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team fakta 0.09 8 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Team fakta 9 Dirk Muller (Ger) Team Cologne 0.12 10 Rogdan Bondarlew (Ukr) Mroz Supradyn 0.13 11 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team fakta 12 Bert Roesems (Bel) Palmans Collstrop 13 Manu L.Hoir (Bel) Team fakta 0.14 14 Walter Bonca (Slo) Perutnina Ptuj-Krka Telekom 15 Sebastien Mattozza (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 16 Mitja Mahoric (Slo) Perutnina Ptuj-Krka Telekom 17 Juergen Werner (Ger) Team Nürnberger Versicherung 18 Rudi Kemna (Ned) Bankgiroloterij-Batavus 19 Allan Johansen (Den) Team fakta 0.15 20 Steven Van Malderghem (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 21 Bjorn Glasner (Ger) Team Cologne 22 Branko Filip (Slo) Perutnina Ptuj-Krka Telekom 23 Eugen Wacker (Kgz) Mroz Supradyn 24 Jimmi Madsen (Den) Team CSC Tiscali 25 Michael Skelde (Den) Team fakta 0.16 26 Boris Premuzic (Slo) Perutnina Ptuj-Krka Telekom 27 Chris Von Kleinsorgen (Ger) Team Coast 28 Henrik Oldin (Swe) Team Malarenergi 29 Holger Sievers (Ger) Team Nürnberger Versicherung 0.17 30 Diego Ferrari (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola 31 Ioannis Tsakouridis (Gre) Greece 32 Remigius Lupejkis (Ltu) Mroz Supradyn 33 Martin Rittsel (Swe) Team CSC Tiscali 34 Sascha Henrix (Ger) Team Coast 35 Malte Urban (Ger) Team Coast 36 Darko Mrvar (Slo) Perutnina Ptuj-Krka Telekom 0.18 37 Hendrik Van Dyck (Bel) Palmans Collstrop 38 Allan Davis (Aus) Mapei-Quick Step 0.19 39 Frank Klein (Ger) Team Cologne 0.20 40 Vasilis Anastopoulos (Gre) Hellas National Team 41 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Wiesenhof 42 Nicklas Ekstrom (Swe) Team Malarenergi 0.21 43 Thorsten Rund (Ger) Team Coast 44 Dirk Schumann (Ger) Team Nürnberger Versicherung 45 Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Greece 46 Radoslav Rogina (Cro) Perutnina Ptuj-Krka Telekom 0.22 47 Marco Battiston (Ita) Alexia Alluminio 48 Keiran Page (GBr) Great Britain 49 Patrick Calcagni (Swi) Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola 50 Fabiano Ferrari (Ita) Alexia Alluminio 51 Bjarke Nielsen (Den) Team CSC Tiscali 0.23 52 Remco Van Der Ven (Ned) Bankgiroloterij-Batavus 53 Luca Barattero (Ita) Alexia Alluminio 54 Andy Cappelle (Bel) Marlux - Ville De Charleroi 55 Valeriy Titov (Kaz) Kazakhstan 56 Heiko Szonn (Ger) Team Cologne 57 Rik Reinerink (Ned) Bankgiroloterij-Batavus 58 George Ninos (Gre) Greece 0.24 59 Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Mapei-Quick Step 60 Christian Poos (Lux) Marlux - Ville De Charleroi 61 Elpidophoros Potouridis (Gre) Hellas National Team 62 Piotr Chmielewski (Pol) Mroz Supradyn 0.25 63 Kristof Trouve (Bel) Palmans Collstrop 64 Yuriy Yuda (Kaz) Kazakhstan 65 Armin Kroniger (Ger) Team Nürnberger Versicherung 66 Domenico Romano (Ita) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 67 Gerben Lawik (Ned) Bankgiroloterij-Batavus 68 Eric De Clercq (Bel) Palmans Collstrop 69 Russell Anderson (GBr) Great Britain 0.26 70 Mauro Gianetti (Swi) Team Coast 71 Pavel Zerzan (Cze) Mapei-Quick Step 72 Vladimir Bushanskiy (Kaz) Kazakhstan 73 Joerg Strauss (Swi) Team Cologne 0.27 74 Gianluca Sironi (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola 75 Zbigniew Piatek (Pol) Mroz Supradyn 76 Sebastian Wolski (Pol) Team Nürnberger Versicherung 77 Martin Vestby (Nor) Team Malarenergi 0.28 78 Sergey Tretyakov (Kaz) Kazakhstan 79 Fredrik Johansson (Swe) Team Malarenergi 80 Steven De Neef (Bel) Marlux - Ville De Charleroi 81 Sebastiano Scotti (Ita) Alexia Alluminio 82 Andris Reiss (Lat) Alexia Alluminio 83 Enrico Nikolai (Ger) Wiesenhof 0.29 84 Joerg Foerster (Ger) Team Nürnberger Versicherung 85 Maxim Gurov (Kaz) Kazakhstan 86 Markos Moraitakis (Gre) Hellas National Team 0.30 87 Tom Desmet (Bel) Marlux - Ville De Charleroi 88 Damiano Giannini (Ita) Alexia Alluminio 89 Roger Hammond (GBr) Palmans Collstrop 0.31 90 Nicola Minali (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola 91 Kazimierz Stafiej (Pol) Mroz Supradyn 92 Sergey Lavrenenko (Kaz) Kazakhstan 93 Danny Jonasson (Den) Team CSC Tiscali 94 Dimit. Dimitrakopoulos (Gre) Hellas National Team 95 Corey Sweet (Aus) Bankgiroloterij-Batavus 0.32 96 Jaime Hernandez Bertran (Spa) Team Coast 97 Ben Clark (GBr) Great Britain 0.33 98 Mark Baker (GBr) Great Britain 0.34 99 Minas Malatos (Gre) Greece 0.35 100 George Mathioulakis (Gre) Greece 0.36 101 Bas Vandooren (Ned) Bankgiroloterij-Batavus 102 Johan Dekkers (Bel) Marlux - Ville De Charleroi 103 Emmanouil Kotoulas (Gre) Hellas National Team 0.37 104 Ryan Cox (RSA) Team Cologne 105 Marco Appler (Ger) Wiesenhof 106 Claudio Lucchini (Ita) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 107 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola 0.38 108 George Tentsos (Gre) Greece 109 Salvatore Scamardella (Ita) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 0.39 110 Marcelino Garcia Alonso (Spa) Team CSC Tiscali 111 Andre Schulze (Ger) Wiesenhof 112 Peter Wuyts (Bel) Palmans Collstrop 113 Nick Gates (Aus) Wiesenhof 0.40 114 Fredrik Modin (Swe) Team Malarenergi 0.42 115 Pietro Zucconi (Swi) Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola 116 Christophe Stevens (Bel) Marlux - Ville De Charleroi 0.43 117 Pelopidas Margaronis (Gre) Hellas National Team 0.44 118 Rafael Ballester Sanz (Spa) Team Malarenergi 0.58 U23 classification 1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Mapei-Quick Step 4.00 2 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) Mapei-Quick Step 0.08 3 Ioannis Tsakouridis (Gre) Greece 0.17 4 Allan Davis (Aus) Mapei-Quick Step 0.19 5 Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Greece 0.21 6 Keiran Page (GBr) Great Britain 0.22 7 George Ninos (Gre) Greece 0.24 8 Yuriy Yuda (Kaz) Kazakhstan 0.25 9 Russell Anderson (GBr) Great Britain 0.26 10 Fredrik Johansson (Swe) Team Malarenergi 0.28 11 Ben Clark (GBr) Great Britain 0.33 12 Mark Baker (GBr) Great Britain 0.34 13 Minas Malatos (Gre) Greece 0.35 14 George Mathioulakis (Gre) Greece 0.36 15 George Tentsos (Gre) Greece 0.38 16 Fredrik Modin (Swe) Team Malarenergi 0.42