1. Chris Boardman (GB) GAN 8.20.00 (avs 52,465 km) h 2. Jan Ullrich (Ger) Telekom 0.02 3. Evgueni Berzin (Rus) Batik 0.05 4. Tony Rominger (Sui) Cofidis 0.05 5. Alex Zulle (Sui) ONCE 0.05 6. Peter Meinert (Dan) US Postal 0.07 7. Rolf Sorensen (Dan) Rabobank 0.10 8. Abraham Olano (Spa) Banesto 0.10 9. Laurent Brochard (Fra) Festina 0.11 10. Christophe Moreau (Fra) Festina 0.12 11. Andrea Peron (Ita) Francaise des Jeux 0.13 12. Aitor Garmendia (Spa) ONCE 0.14 13. Bjarne Riis (Dan) Telekom 0.15 14. Michele Bartoli (Ita) Maglificio 0.16 15. Lauri Aus (Est) Casino 0.16 16. Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 0.17 17. Oskar Camenzind (Sui) Mapei 0.17 18. Alexandre Gontchenkov (Rus) Roslotto 0.17 19. Erik Breukink (Ned) Rabobank 0.18 20. Mikel Zarrabeitia (Spa) ONCE 0.18 21. Frank Vandenbroucke (Bel) Mapei 0.18 22. Laurent Jalabert (Fra) ONCE 0.18 23. Mario Cipollini (Ita) Saeco 0.18 24. Jens Heppner (Ger) Telekom 0.19 25. Frankie Andreu (USA) Cofidis 0.19 26. Francisco Cabello (Spa) Kelme 0.20 27. Gilles Maignan (Fra) Mutuelle 0.21 28. Servais Knaven (Ned) TVM 0.21 29. Philippe Gaumont (Fra) Cofidis 0.21 30. Zenon Jaskula (Pol) Mapei 0.21 31. Adriano Baffi (Ita) US Postal 0.22 32. Andrei Teteriuk (Kzk) Lotto 0.22 33. Didier Rous (Fra) Festina 0.22 34. Laurent Dufaux (Sui) Festina 0.22 35. Bart Voskamp (Ned) TVM 0.22 36. Inigo Cuesta (Spa) ONCE 0.23 36. Peter Van Petegem (Bel) TVM 0.23 38. Henk Vogels (Aus) GAN 0.24 39. Mirco Crepaldi (Ita) Polti 0.24 40. Danny Nelissen (Ned) Rabobank 0.24 41. Christophe Agnolutto (Fra) Casino 0.24 42. Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 0.24 43. Javier Pascual (Spa) Kelme 0.24 44. Alberto Elli (Ita) Casino 0.25 45. Pascal Lino (Fra) Big Mat Auber 0.25 46. Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) US Postal 0.25 47. Beat Zberg (Sui) Mercatone 0.25 48. Dariusz Baranowski (Pol) US Postal 0.25 49. Arturas Kasputis (Lit) Casino 0.25 50. Erik Zabel (Ger) Telekom 0.25 51. Tom Steels (Bel) Mapei 0.26 52. Roberto Conti (Ita) Mercatone 0.26 53. Francisco Benitez (Spa) Kelme 0.26 54. Maarten Den Bakker (Ned) TVM 0.27 55. Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei 0.27 56. George Hincapie (USA) US Postal 0.27 57. Fridiric Moncassin (Fra) GAN 0.28 58. Andreo Tchmil (Ukr) Lotto 0.28 59. Pavel Padrnos (Tch) Roslotto 0.28 60. Marino Alonso (Spa) Banesto 0.29 61. Pascal Lance (Fra) Big Mat Auber 0.29 62. Maximilian Sciandri (G-B) Francaise des J 0.29 63. Rolf Jaermann (Sui) Casino 0.29 64. Peter Luttenberger (Aut) Rabobank 0.29 65. Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Maglificio 0.29 66. Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Festina 0.29 67. Pascal Chanteur (Fra) Casino 0.29 68. Patrick Jonker (Aus) Rabobank 0.29 69. Gianluca Pierobon (Ita) Batik 0.30 70. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Francaise des Jeux 0.30 71. Carlo Finco (Ita) Maglificio 0.30 72. Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) TVM 0.30 73. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Casino 0.30 74. Laurent Desbiens (Fra) Cofidis 0.30 75. Arsenio Gonzalez (Spa) Kelme 0.31 76. Jon Odriozola (Spa) Batik 0.31 77. Andrea Tafi (Ita) Mapei 0.31 78. Marco Fincato (Ita) Roslotto 0.32 79. Marc Wauters (Bel) Lotto 0.33 80. Neil Stephens (Aus) Festina 0.33 81. Vicente Garcia Acosta (Spa) Banesto 0.33 82. Bo Hamburger (Dan) TVM 0.34 83. Manuel Beltran (Spa) Banesto 0.34 84. Udo Bolts (Ger) Telekom 0.35 85. Luc Leblanc (Fra) Polti 0.35 86. Christian Henn (Ger) Telekom 0.35 86. Luca Colombo (Ita) Batik 0.35 88. Georg Totschnig (Aut) Telekom 0.35 89. Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Cofidis 0.35 90. Tristan Hoffman (Ned) TVM 0.35 91. Gordon Fraser (Can) Mutuelle 0.35 92. Angelo Lecchi (Ita) Maglificio 0.36 93. Torsten Schmidt (Ger) Roslotto 0.36 94. Stuart O'Grady (Aus) GAN 0.37 95. Bobby Julich (USA) Cofidis 0.37 96. Massimo Strazzer (Ita) Roslotto 0.37 97. Johan Museeuw (Bel) Mapei 0.37 98. David Etxebarria (Spa) ONCE 0.37 99. Fabio Baldato (Ita) Maglificio 0.37 100. Wilfried Peeters (Bel) Mapei 0.37 101. Rolf Aldag (Ger) Telekom 0.38 102. Rossano Brasi (Ita) Polti 0.38 102. Thierry Gouvenou (Fra) Big Mat Auber 0.38 104. Laurent Genty (Fra) Big Mat Auber 0.38 105. Vitali Kokorine (Rus) Roslotto 0.38 106. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Saeco 0.38 107. Fabiano Fontanelli (Ita) Maglificio 0.38 108. Fernando Escartin (Spa) Kelme 0.38 109. Marco Pantani (Ita) Mercatone 0.39 110. Flavio Vanzella (Ita) Francaise des Jeux 0.39 111. Philipp Buschor (Sui) Saeco 0.39 112. Roberto Sierra (Spa) ONCE 0.39 113. Orlando Rodrigues (Por) Banesto 0.40 114. Mirco Gualdi (Ita) Polti 0.40 115. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Telekom 0.40 116. Stiphane Heulot (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 0.40 117. Marty Jemison (USA) US Postal 0.40 118. Bruno Cenghialta (Ita) Batik 0.41 119. Jean-Cyril Robin (Fra) US Postal 0.41 120. Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) Polti 0.42 121. Jesper Skibby (Dan) TVM 0.42 122. Eros Poli (Ita) GAN 0.42 123. Hernan Buenahora (Col) Kelme 0.42 124. Jose Angel Vidal (Spa) Kelme 0.42 125. Thierry Bourguignon (Fra) Big Mat Auber 0.43 126. Ludovic Auger (Fra) Big Mat Auber 0.43 127. Marcelino Garcia (Spa) ONCE 0.43 128. Ivan Gotti (Ita) Saeco 0.43 129. Laurent Madouas (Fra) Lotto 0.43 130. Laurent Pillon (Fra) Mutuelle 0.44 131. Jose Maria Jimenez (Spa) Banesto 0.44 132. Tyler Hamilton (USA) US Postal 0.44 133. Marco Saligari (Ita) Casino 0.44 134. Richard Virenque (Fra) Festina 0.44 135. Gian Matteo Fagnini (Ita) Saeco 0.44 136. Giuseppe Tartaggia (Ita) Batik 0.44 137. Paul Van Hyfte (Bel) Lotto 0.44 138. Marcello Siboni (Ita) Mercatone 0.44 139. Javier Mauleon (Spa) ONCE 0.45 140. Inigo Chaurreau (Spa) Polti 0.45 141. Christophe Mengin (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 0.45 142. Andrea Brognara (Ita) Batik 0.45 143. Fridiric Guesdon (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 0.45 144. Viatcheslav Djavanian (Rus) Roslotto 0.46 145. Anthony Morin (Fra) Big Mat Auber 0.46 146. Luca Scinto (Ita) Maglificio 0.46 147. Joona Laukka (Fin) Festina 0.46 148. Benont Salmon (Fra) Lotto 0.47 149. Massimiliano Lelli (Ita) Saeco 0.47 150. Jose Luis Arrieta (Spa) Banesto 0.48 151. Santiago Blanco (Spa) Banesto 0.48 152. Serguei Outschakov (Ukr) Polti 0.48 153. Jose de los Angeles (Spa) Kelme 0.49 154. Daniele Sgnaolin (Ita) Roslotto 0.49 155. Jean-Frangois Anti (Fra) Mutuelle 0.49 156. Nicola Minali (Ita) Batik 0.49 157. Kevin Livingston (USA) Cofidis 0.50 158. Massimo Podenzana (Ita) Mercatone 0.50 158. Stiphane Cueff (Fra) Mutuelle 0.50 160. Pascal Derami (Fra) US Postal 0.50 161. Arnaud Pretot (Fra) GAN 0.50 162. Christophe Rinero (Fra) Cofidis 0.50 162. Frangois Simon (Fra) GAN 0.50 164. Girard Rui (Fra) GAN 0.50 165. Pascal Hervi (Fra) Festina 0.50 166. Laurent Roux (Fra) TVM 0.51 167. David Delrieu (Fra) Mutuelle 0.51 168. Nicola Loda (Ita) Maglificio 0.51 169. Cidric Vasseur (Fra) GAN 0.51 170. Fabrice Gougot (Fra) Casino 0.52 171. Marco Artunghi (Ita) Mercatone 0.53 172. Mario Traversoni (Ita) Mercatone 0.54 173. Marco Zen (Ita) Roslotto 0.55 174. Jean-Philippe Dojwa (Fra) Mutuelle 0.56 175. Oscar Pellicioli (Ita) Mercatone 0.56 176. Angel Casero (Spa) Banesto 0.56 177. Cyril Saugrain (Fra) Cofidis 0.57 178. Gerrit De Vries (Ned) Polti 0.57 179. Peter Farazijn (Bel) Lotto 0.58 180. Robbie McEwen (Aus) Rabobank 0.58 181. Francesco Frattini (Ita) Batik 0.58 182. Gilles Talmant (Fra) Big Mat Auber 0.59 183. Jaime Gonzalez (Col) Kelme 0.59 184. Claude Lamour (Fra) Mutuelle 0.59 185. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Ouz) Lotto 1.01 186. Damien Nazon (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 1.04 187. Valentino Fois (Ita) Mapei 1.04 188. Dominique Rault (Fra) Mutuelle 1.04 189. Mauro Gianetti (Sui) Francaise des Jeux 1.05 190. Dario Frigo (Ita) Saeco 1.06 191. Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Maglificio 1.07 192. Miguel Arroyo (Mex) Big Mat Auber 1.07 193. Giusvan Piovaccari (Ita) Mercatone 1.08 194. Giorgio Furlan (Ita) Saeco 1.12 195. Jo Planckaert (Bel) Lotto 1.16 196. Paolo Fornaciari (Ita) Saeco 1.16 197. Leon Van Bon (Ned) Rabobank 1.18 198. Gianluca Valoti (Ita) Polti 1.24
Three years after winning his first Tour prologue, the Briton once again confirmed he was the world's best time trial specialist with a ride of eight minutes 20.90 seconds on a flat 7.3-km course in the streets of Rouen in the north of France.
Boardman's win, at an average speed of 52.466 kph, was all the more convincing as his nearest rival in this year's prologue, German Jan Ullrich, started two hours before him in far better conditions.
Ullrich, second in the 1996 Tour behind Denmark's Bjarne Riis, was two seconds slower than the GAN rider with Russia's Yevgeny Berzin third, five seconds behind Boardman.
For the Briton, who has now won 30 prologues, this was his race of the season, especially after the disappointment of his two previous Tour prologues.
In 1995, he crashed out of the race in the rain and he was beaten last year by just two seconds by Swiss Alex Zuelle.
``For me this was the hardest day of the year because I did not know whether good or bad would come out of it. It's a lot of pressure but it is good pressure,'' Boardman said.
The world one hour record holder added the win was even more special as he had not fully realised what the yellow jersey meant to a professional rider when he first took it in Lille in 1994.
There was also another important personal challenge for the 28-year-old from Manchester.
``When you receive the yellow jersey, they also give you a toy lion. My second son, Oscar, did not have his,'' he said.
Ullrich confirmed he may well be the main threat to his Telekom team leader Riis following Saturday's second placing. The 23-year-old German, who won the last time trial of the 1996 Tour, is obviously in great shape.
Riis had to be content with 13th place. But the 33-year-old Dane has never been at his best in prologues and he has three weeks and more than 3,900 kms ahead of him to claim his jersey back.
Spain's Abraham Olano also had an average ride, finishing eighth, 11 seconds behind Boardman.
Despite entering the Tour with a broken collarbone, Zuelle showed he could not be ruled out, finishing fifth in the same time as Berzin and veteran compatriot Tony Rominger.
Sunday's first stage takes the 198 tour riders from Forges-les-Eaux to Rouen over 192 kms and should favour sprinters.