Rate it!

0 votes

Czech Frantisek Rabon continued his good early season form to upset the pre-race favourites and snatch the Tour de Romandie prologue over 3.1 kilometres in Lausanne.

On the cosy banks of the Lake Geneva, the 25-year-old Columbia rider kept the Swiss race opener in his team's ranks after last year's victory for team leader Mark Cavendish of Britain.

"I'm a little bit surprised. I knew I was in good shape but I thought the course suited someone like Mark better," Rabon said at the end of a cloudy but eventually dry time trial which he won in three minutes and 44.56 seconds.

Victory added to the Czech's success earlier this season in the Tour of Murcia time trial.

Frenchman Sandy Casar took second place, two seconds behind while overall favourite Alejandro Valverde was third, three seconds adrift.

Valverde was a last minute addition to the race start list, a replacement for Italian Damiano Cunego.

A lot was expected of Olympic time trial champion Fabian Cancellara for his first big race on home soil since the Beijing Olympics, but the Swiss was as disappointing as he has been all season thus far, finishing 11th, five seconds off the pace.

Last year's prologue winner Cavendish was not at ease on a much longer course and had to settle for 29th with the satisfaction of seeing his team mate triumph.

"I'm going to take it day by day because this is a tough race but we have a strong team and we should do something good in (Friday's) team time trial," Rabon added.

Australian Cadel Evans, the Tour de Romandie winner in 2006, was also below par in 33rd place.

Wednesday's first stage takes the bunch from Montreux to Fribourg over 176.2 kms.

Official result:

1. Frantisek Rabon (Czech Republic/Columbia) 3mins 44.56 secs

2. Sandy Casar (France / Francaise des Jeux ) +2 secs

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Caisse d'Epargne ) +3"

4. Tyler Farrar (U.S. / Garmin ) +4"

5. Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic / Liquigas ) "

6. Maxim Iglinskiy (Kazakhstan / Astana ) "

7. Jussi Veikkanen (Finland / Francaise des Jeux ) same time

8. Jerome Coppel (France / Francaise des Jeux ) +5"

9. Manuel Quinziato (Italy / Liquigas ) "

10. Oscar Freire (Spain / Rabobank ) "

11. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland / Saxo Bank ) "

12. Tony Martin (Germany / Columbia ) "

13. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Caisse d'Epargne ) "

14. Philippe Gilbert (Belgium / Silence - Lotto ) "

15. Rein Taaramae (Estonia / Cofidis ) +6"

16. Mikel Astarloza (Spain / Euskaltel ) "

17. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Sweden / Fuji ) "

18. Alexander Serov (Russia / Katusha ) +7"

19. Dominique Cornu (Belgium / Quick-Step ) "

20. Alexandre Moos (Switzerland / BMC Racing Team ) "

21. Steve Morabito (Switzerland / Astana ) "

22. Martin Elmiger (Switzerland / AG2R ) +8"

23. Ignatas Konovalovas (Lithuania / Cervelo ) "

24. Vladimir Karpets (Russia / Katusha ) "

25. Paul Voss (Germany / Milram ) "

26. Mathias Frank (Switzerland / BMC Racing Team ) "

27. Gregory Rast (Switzerland / Astana ) "

28. Dario Cataldo (Italy / Quick-Step ) +9"

29. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Columbia ) "

30. Marcel Wyss (Switzerland / Cervelo ) "

Reuters