Big names among early starters for Tour de France prologue

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Christian Vande Velde and Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions), Bradley Wiggins and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky), Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia) and Levi Leipheimer have all opted for early start times in Saturday’s Tour de France prologue to try and avoid the rain showers forecast for later in the afternoon.

Team leaders and time trial favourites are usually placed in the final slots of the start list but Cyclingnews understands that teams have studied hour by hour weather forecast and carefully selected the start times of their riders.

Spain’s Iban Mayoz Echeverria (Footon-Servetto) is the first rider off at 16:15 local time. Martin starts at 16:25, Vande Velde at 16:31, Boasson Hagen at 16:33, Zabriskie at 16:53, Wiggins at 16:55 and Leipheimer at 17:17.

Most of the other big-name start two hours later. Cadel Evans (BMC) starts at 19:20, Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) is third from last off at 19:30. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) is off at 19:31 and Alberto Contador (Astana) is last rider off at 19:32.

According to detailed weather forecasts for Rotterdam, rain is expected in the morning before drier conditions in the middle of the day. Scattered showers are forecast from two o’clock onwards, with an increasing percentage of humidity. The highest chance of rain, 88%, is at 19:00.

With 12 corners on the city centre 8.9km course, the difference between wet roads and dry ones could well determine the stage winner. Fabian Cancellara, the favourite for the prologue win, starts second to last.

Start times for Rotterdam prologue: