Iban Mayo (Euskaltel) has drawn first blood in the Dauphine Libere. The Basque rider powered over a 5.4-km course to win the race's prologue in 7:51.99. Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) nipped Lance Armstrong (U.S. Postal Service) for second at 0:01.

Mayo dominated the prologue. He rode hard throughout. He may have ridden too hard on the course's last turn, where he nearly crashed, but the Euskaltel rider hung on to defeat Hamilton and Armstrong. For the second straight year, Mayo has won the Dauphine Libere's prologue.

Phonak turned in the best team performance in the prologue. The Swiss squad put five men in the top seven. Phonak is well-positioned to battle Euskaltel for the race lead.

In the overall, Mayo leads Hamilton and Armstrong by 0:01. Stage 1 will not change this state of affairs. The 231-km run from Megeve to Bron will feature two climbs in the first half of the stage, but the field should regroup for a bunch sprint. Who will win it? Oscar Freire (Rabobank)? Baden Cooke (La Francaise des Jeux.com)? Jimmy Casper (Cofidis)? Check in at www.roadcycling.com and find out!

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