Lars Boom (Rabobank) has won the prologue of the Dauphine Libere. The Dutchman won the flat, 5.4-km event in Saint-Jean-de Maurienne in 6:18:12. Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) finished second at 0:02, and Bradley Wiggins (Sky) took third at 0:05.

Cyrille Lemoine (Saur) set the early standard with a 6:28. Rain hampered many of the participants, but in the last hour, the precipitation let up and Bled Kadri (Ag2r) took full advantage of the new conditions, nipping Lemoine with a 6:26. Wiggins then took the lead with a 6:23.

Boom powered over the course to snatch the lead from Wiggins and then watched as Vinokourov came within 0:02 of him. The Dutchman's victory surprised him.

"I didn't expect it," he said. "I had some problems with my knee last week, since the Tour of California. I'm happy it's going well now, and I'm happy to have won."

In the overall, Boom leads Vinokourov by 0:02 and Wiggins by 0:05. Stage 1 might change this state of affairs. The hilly, 144-km ride from Albertville to Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse will feature two Category 4 climbs, a Category 3 ascent, and the Category 2 climb to the finish. The field will probably break up on the run to the finish. Who will be in the lead group? Check in at www.roadcycling.com and find out!