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Luke Durbridge has won the Dauphine Libre prologue riding for Green Edge, the Australian beating Bradley Wiggins.
Australia's Luke Durbridge, riding for Orica-GreenEdge, edged Britain's triple Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins to win the 5.7 kilometre Dauphine Libre prologue around here on Sunday.
The 21-year-old junior world time trial champion and national time trial champion crossed the line one second up on Wiggins in the race against the clock in what is a key tune-up race for next month's Tour de France.
"I wasn't expecting this, I was more looking at finishing in the first five," said Durbridge, who thus took his maiden win on the WorldTour.
"It all went well, I was able to ride quick and finish quick. It was the right choice to set off among the first riders. We'd seen the weather forecast and we were worried about the rain which was at risk of falling in the afternoon."
Defending champion Wiggins, who has been in fine form this season winning the Paris-Nice and Tour of Romandie stage races, said he was satisfied with his opening result.
"I am happy enough to finish second, but it is all about the whole week and not just this prologue," he said.
"I could not have asked for more than what I did today."
Behind the front two Astana's Andriy Grivko took third at 3sec, with Spain's Carlos Barredo fourth and Germany's world time trial champion Tony Martin fifth, five seconds behind.
Further back came Tour de France titleholder Cadel Evans in ninth at six seconds.
With Wiggins showing superb form this season ahead of a renewed assault on the Tour de France yellow jersey - he crashed out on stage seven last year - this week's race should also reveal how Evans is shaping up less than a month before the race start.
Evans has had a lacklustre season so far, but Evans' sporting director at BMC John Lelangue says the Australian - a four-time runner-up at the Dauphine - has major ambitions this week.
"Cadel made a very good come back to competition, he only lost time on the specialists and he is very well ranked among the favourites," said Lelangue, who believes the fight for the overall will really take place during the time trial Thursday.
"He will have to stay safe during the coming stages and after this prologue, we have nice perspectives for the overall."
Monday's first stage is a 187 kilometre run from Seyssins to Saint-Vallier.
The race, which features several mountain stages, finishes Sunday with a 124.5 km ride from Morzine to Chatel.
