Italy's Paolo Savoldelli sat out last week's Tour de Georgia for the Discovery team, but came on strong at the Tour de Romandie by winning the 2.1-mile prologue Tuesday.
It was “the return” of Germany's Jan Ullrich that many awaited, however. Injured in early training, Ullrich made his return to pro cycling by finishing 90th out of 163 cyclists.
The six-day tour covers some 400 miles in the French-speaking region of western Switzerland. It wraps up about a week before the three-week Giro d'Italia.
The Falcon
Savoldelli — “Il Facone” (The Falcon) — won the Giro last year and wants to repeat that feat this year. He's also a top contender for leadership of the Discovery team in the Tour de France, after the departure of Lance Armstrong. Another hopeful is American George Hincapie.
Spaniard Alejandro Valverde of Caisse d'Epargne finished in second place, just a fraction of a second behind Savoldelli. Australian Brad McGee finished third.
As for Ullrich, he told BBC News: “I have a lot to catch up. I've never started the season so late.”
The T-Mobile rider finished third in last year's Tour de France and has been touted by Armstrong as this year's probable winner.
More results and race news at VeloNews or CyclingNews. Also see Savoldelli's website, in Italian.
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