Cannondale's Peter Sagan won the Prologue stage of the first ever Tour of Alberta.
The state capital Edmonton staged a 7.3km individual time trial on a course which was technical but offered a fast section down Grierson Hill as well just under a kilometre of a climb from the North Saskatchewan river valley through the Alberta Legislature grounds back to the Downtown area and back where it all started on Winston Churchill Square.
This 2.1 UCI World Tour event attracted some big names including 2011 Tour De France winner Cadel Evans as well as 2012 Giro D'Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal and Peter Sagan who won four stages in the recent US Pro Cycling Challenge.
Simon Gescke of Argos Shimano was first down the ramp at 6.15pm local time and first to finish in 9:03.13.
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That lasted until Gescke's team mate 22 year old Tobias Ludvigsson became the new leader with a time of 8:42.88 at an average of 50.1kph, followed by Belkin's Robert Gesink going second with the second sub nine minute time of the day.
Garmin-Sharp's David Zabriskie moved into second with an 8.58 and American Time Trial champion Tom Zirbel of Optium went third also with a time of 8.58.
The only British rider in the race David Millar came home in 9.02 before Brent Bookwalter moved into second with a time of 8.49.
Patrick Gretsch also posted a time of 8:58 which was bettered by a second by Pieter Weening, who then lost his potential podium slot to Chad Haga of Optium.
Jack Bobridge, Peter Sagan, Cadel Evans and Ryder Hesjesdal were the last four to go and just before they did, we had a new leader when Garmin-Sharp's Rohan Dennis flew home in 8:41.64.
That was not a good enough time as Cannondale's Peter Sagan put in a superb ride to finish in 8.28.
Cadel Evans finished in 8.48.44 and when Hesjedal finished in 8:58:24, Peter Sagan had won the Prologue.
RESULT
1. Sagan (Cannondale) 8:28 2. Dennis (Garmin-Sharp) 8:41 3. Tobias Ludvigsson (Argos-Shimano) 8:42, 4. Cadel Evan (BMC) 8.48