HTC Highroad's Patrick Gretsch won the opening prologue of the US Pro Cycling Challenge.
The race which is a week long challenge started with an 8.5km prologue around Colorado Springs and included Tour De France winner Cadel Evans and the Schlecks.
Evans came in ninth nine seconds back on HTC Highroad's Patrick Gretsch who won with a time of eight minutes and twenty seven seconds.
Christian Vandevalde was second with BMC's Brent Bookwalter third. Robert Forster was fourth with Jens Voight fifth.
"It was a very beautiful course with the mountains," said HTC Highroad sport director, Brian Holm to his team's press office, "Which also gave us very fast downhills. It was a slower start but they were picking up a lot of speed in the middle. Then at about five [kilometers] to the finish it was pretty flat, and Gretsch had great form the whole way through."
The best young rider's jersey went to HTC-Highroad's Tejay Van Garderen, who finished seventh, and the most aggressive rider's jersey went to team mate Danny Pate.
"It's a great result today, I had a feeling one of about four of our guys could take it, but to see three of our guys on the podium is fantastic."
"It's the first leader's jersey the team's ever gotten in Colorado, so we're very proud of it and we don't intend to give it up without a fight."
Stage two tomorrow is from Salida - Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte
Picture copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/David Shaw