Briton Mark Cavendish used his sprinting prowess to outshine the time trial specialists and win the Tour de Romandie prologue on the banks of Lake Geneva.

The High Road team leader clocked two minutes 07.60 seconds for the 1.9-kilometre course at an average speed of 56.7kph.

"With hardly two kilometres, it's like a sprint, full gas to the line", said the 22-year-old from the Isle of Man, who was crowned Madison world champion on the track in Manchester in March.

Italian Daniele Bennati, another sprint specialist, was second, 0.27 seconds adrift, ahead of his Liquigas Swiss team-mate Michael Albasini, who clocked 2'08"20.

Cavendish's team-mate and compatriot Bradley Wiggins, who finished fifth, set the early pace, starting 13th of the 150 riders, but with the wind strengthening as evening fell, his time of 2:08.48 could not resist the challenge of later riders.

"The wind was very strong on the return part, like a wall. I tried my biggest gear and I just stopped," said Cavendish, winner of 11 road races last season.

"It [the team] is a fine mix of experienced and up-and-coming riders. It's impossible not to win."

But he admitted it would be difficult for him to score another victory on the Swiss roads all week, most stages being too hilly for his skills.

The win came as a consolation of sorts for Team High Road, who learnt they were not accepted in the line-up for the Spanish Vuelta a Espana.

The Tour de Romandie is one of the biggest races to accept the Astana team of Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, but its leader in the race, Germany's Andreas Kloeden, was a disappointing 19th in the prologue.

Wednesday's first stage is a 182.4km run to Saignelegier.

Prologue results:

1. Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man / High Road ) 2 minutes, 7 seconds

2. Daniele Bennati (Italy / Liquigas ) Same time

3. Michael Albasini (Switzerland / Liquigas ) +1

4. Bjorn Schroder (Germany / Milram )

5. Bradley Wiggins (Britain / High Road )

6. Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic / Liquigas )

7. Nick Nuyens (Belgium / Cofidis ) +2"

8. Martin Elmiger (Switzerland / AG2R )

9. Thomas Dekker (Netherlands / Rabobank )

10. Martin Kohler (Switzerland / BMC Team )

Reuters