Gutierrez rocketed through the course(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Raivis Belohvosciks (Scott-American Beef) gets set to go for the prologue time trial.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Must make sure the shoes are strapped down tight for the quick prologue.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne) awaits his start time for the prologue.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne) is the Spanish time trial champion.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Lars Bak (CSC)(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) makes his return to racing after dropping out of the Tour with tendonitis.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Michael Rogers (Team Columbia) gets ready for his ride.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
José Iván Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) takes a deep breath in preparation for the intense five minute effort.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
As defending champion, José Iván Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) was the last rider off.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
A last minute adjustment to the helmet for José Iván Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne)(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
José Iván Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) focuses before the start of the 4.4km prologue.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
José Iván Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) muscles through the start house on his way to the stage win.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
José Iván Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) takes off from the start house.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Gutierrez sprints for the line with everything he has left.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Coming into the home stretch the margin between Gutierrez and Lemoine is ultra-thin(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Gutierrez rocketed through the course in 5'31.09.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
It's a painful event, but Gutierrez suffers better than anyone else to take the win by eight hundredths of a second.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
A big smile and a wave from the Eneco Tour leader Jose Ivan Gutierrez.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
A little soggy after his ride in the rain Gutierrez takes the stage winner's podium(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
José Iván Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) is back in the leader's jersey The 2007 winner edged out Frenchman Cyril Lemoine by less than a tenth of a second.(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Sebastian Siedler (Skil-Shimano) finished 37 seconds down.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Gorka Verdugo Markotegi (Euskaltel - Euskadi) was 38th on the opening stage.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Romain Villa (Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone) finished 24 seconds back.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
German Robert Wagner (Skil-Shimano) was just over 30 seconds behind.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Carlo Westphal (Gerolsteiner) was one of three riders to finish 23 seconds behind.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Got Beef? Latvia's Raivis Belohvosciks (Scott - American Beef) does.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Tom Boonen (Quick Step) attempted to limit his loss on the prologue.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Dutchman Steven De Jongh (Quick Step) landed the 39th fastest time.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
German Robert Förster (Gerolsteiner) lost 20 seconds.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Artur Gajek (Team Milram) was only 15 seconds behind the stage winner.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
France's Yohann Gène (Bouygues Telecom) was outside the top 100.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Tour de France stage winner Simon Gerrans (Crédit Agricole) was 46th.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Tour Down Under winner André Greipel (Team Columbia) only lost 10 seconds.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
José Iván Gutierrez Palacios (Caisse d'Epargne) collects his flowers after winning the opening stage.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Spain's José Iván Gutierrez Palacios (Caisse d'Epargne) was focused on his way to victory.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) was just outside of 30 seconds slower than the winner.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Lucky 100: Andreas Klier (Team Columbia) posted the 100th quickest time.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Belgian Gianni Meersman (Française des Jeux) was just 15 seconds off the pace.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Elia Rigotto (Team Milram) lost 24 seconds on the 4.4 kilometre stage.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Caisse d'Epargne) was within eight seconds of his stage winning team-mate.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
José Gutierrez of Caisse d'Epargne defended his win in last year's Eneco Tour by setting the fastest time in the short prologue with a 5'31.9 to secure the first leader's jersey. He nipped Cyril Lemoine of Credit Agricole, who led much of the day and had covered the 4.4 km course in 5'31.98. He was only one second faster that Team Columbia's Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen, who was third at 5.32.
It looked for a long time as if Lemoine's time would be good for the win, especially when heavy rains moved in and slowed everyone down. Both Lemoine and Boasson Hagen rode early in the stage. But the rain had ended and the road was dry again when Gutierrez, as the last rider out, took to the course.
Gutierrez took over the leader's jersey in last year's race at the last second, when he finished second in the closing time trial. Team CSC's Andre Steensen started the action off under the cloudy skies. Boasson Hagen soon turned in his top time of 5'32.23 , which many expected to hold. But shortly thereafter Lemoine came through a tick faster, at 5'31.98.
About a half an hour later, the heavens opened and the times suddenly became much slower, as the riders weren't willing to take any chances on the wet city course. Philippe Gilbert of Francaise des Jeux put in a time of 6'18, with many riders around the six minute mark. Fortunately the rain didn't last all that long and some quicker times starting coming in again.
For a while none came close to the top times, but as the road dried off and the top riders took to the course, the times starting falling again. Michael Rogers of Columbia turned in a time of 5'35 to give himself fifth place, and Gutierrez, as the last rider to take the course, topped them all with his time of 5'31.09.
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