Lance wins the Prologue and starts the race with the yellow jersey. Let the games begin.

1. Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal, 7.3km in 9:08.78
2. Laurent Jalabert (F), CSC, 9:10
3. Raimondas Rumsas (Lit) Lampre, 9:11.

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A bad day for Ullrich -- and a French rental car
by Thom Gunn

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King of the mountains for a day
The toughest race in the world starts next Saturday - if you want to know how tough, you can have a go. Our cycling correspondent William Fotheringham discovers how the Tour de France looks from the other side of the handlebars