Stage Favourites:

Elijzen	Renäng	Oba
Kasa		Joearr

We start with a pan flat prologue at a beautiful location on the Adriatic coast. This is merely a stage to decide who wears yellow on stage 2 as the time gaps are expected to be minimal.


The fastest early time.

Zabalo, who was the third rider off the start ramp, sets a time of 2'36. He is a respectable man for this type of stage so his time is a good benchmark for those with eyes on winning this stage.


Close, but not close enough.

Taciak @ 2'37 and Martinez @ 2'38 were also early starters. Both really threatened the time of Zabalo but ultimately came up just short.



Bolivian champ Ibanez, 41st, rounding a corner.

More and more riders come and go but still the time of Zabalo holds true.

Renäng out on course.

Renäng, perhaps hampered by the change in wind, finishes with a time of 2'38. That is fifth fastest at this stage, not what Team Live Nation would have expected from the second favourite to take the prologue.


Duggan out on course.

The winner of the recent Tour de Bretagne looks like he has kept his good form. Duggan finishes at 2'39, this time would prove to be one of the top times from the GC men.


Croatian champ, Jovanovic, in his national jersey.

The stage standings with over 50% of the riders having finished their ride:

At this stage in the race it really looked like the riders who set off early have had a big advantage. However,

Hansen puts in a great time .....

Lasse Norman Hansen comes home second quickest, barely a second behind Zabalo. You might not expect Hansen to challenge for the win in this prologue, but the wind is deciding the fate of those out on course today.


Bulgac ... comes frighteningly close.

Bulgac comes home shortly after Hansen and finishes almost dead level with the Dane, Bulgac moves into 3rd. The wind is certainly favouring these riders - however ...

Oba, one of the dark horses for the prologue, comes home '2 down at 2'38. He may well have moved into the lead were it not for the wind picking back up.

Zabalo, still, holds the lead as we are running out of riders.


Elijzen, the last challenger.

Over whelming stage favourite Elijzen is the last rider off the ramp who can look to challenge the early time for the prologue win. However, he sets off with the wind at its harshest.


Not today!

Elijzen doesn't take this prologue, he finishes in 10th today '3 down on the stage winner. A scant consolation for Team TomTom is that they finish with 3 riders in the top 10.


Grupo Nutresa take the prologue.

Zabalo takes the prologue victory after, no doubt, hours of sweating, seeing rider after rider come so close to dispose of his time. Few people would have tipped him for the prologue win, but he was on a good day and had plenty of luck with the wind.

Grupo Nutresa will defend the race lead on stage 2.

No worries for the GC men with all riders finishing within '20.