Monaco - Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara lived up to his own billing by easily winning Saturday's first stage of the 2009 Tour de France, a 15.5km individual time trial in Monaco. Cancellara, who had predicted the victory, covered the technically complex course in 19 mins 32 seconds, an average speed of 47.6 kph, 18 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, race favourite Alberto Contador of Spain.
Seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong celebrated his comeback to the race after a four-year absence with an impressive tenth place, 40 seconds behind the winner.
Australian Cadel Evans stamped himself as one of the race favourites as he finished fifth, 23 seconds behind the winner but only 5 seconds adrift of Contador, his main rival for the championship.
The 28-year-old Cancellara, a two-time world time-trial champion, had announced his intention to take the race leader's yellow jersey on the first day of the Tour by telling journalists, "My rivals will want to get out their heavy winter coats for when I pass them. It will be hard to beat Cancellara."
Armstrong's Astana team also lived up to expectations, placing four riders among the top 10 finishers.
