COURSE: The prologue starts in the heart of London, goes past Downing Street (residence of Britain’s Prime Minister), the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace (residence of Queen Elizabeth II).

The course then climbs Constitution Hill, passes through Wellington Arch and loops around The Serpentine, a lake in Hyde Park, before heading back downhill to the Victoria Memorial and to the finish on The Mall, London’s grandest avenue, with Buckingham Palace as the backdrop.
HISTORY: This is the first time that the Tour has started in London, although the race has visited the British Isles three previous times: in 1974 for one stage at Plymouth in southwest England; in 1994 for two stages finishing at Brighton and Portsmouth in southeast England; and in 1998, for the Dublin prologue and two stages in Ireland.

FAVORITES:Although Scotland’s David Millar and England’s Bradley Wiggins will be looking to win the first contest of the 2007 Tour de France on home soil, they aren’t the only ones with a chance. The incredibly intense effort required to win a prologue must be mated with fearless bikehandling skills as riders fly through multiple tight turns with their bodies in an aerodynamic tuck.

Last year the big Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd won the 7.1km prologue in Strasbourg with a time of 8:17. He finished less than one second ahead of American George Hincapie and four seconds in front of another American, Dave Zabriskie.The 2006 prologue was also the first of several dramatic moments for American Floyd Landis. Just prior to the start of his ride, he suffered a tire puncture, prompting a last-minute wheel change. He arrived at the starting house well after his starting time and lost nearly ten seconds. Had the catastrophe not happened, Landis would likely have won the prologue.

This year, the following contenders will hope for a smooth – and incredibly fast – start to their own Tours.

FABIAN CANCELLARA (SWI) CSC
Cancellara won the 2004 prologue in Liège by two seconds over Lance Armstrong, but he didn’t start last year. He’s the current world time trial champion and will be a favorite in London should he be selected by his team to go to this year’s Tour.

GEORGE HINCAPIE (USA) DISCOVERY CHANNEL
Going into the 2006 Tour as Discovery’s leader, Hincapie came out flying and nearly took the race’s first yellow jersey – losing by less than a second. This year the man from South Carolina will ride in support of fellow American Levi Leipheimer. However, we will still likely see Hincapie blazing the London prologue course as he sets various time splits for Leipheimer to challenge.

THOR HUSHOVD (N) CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
He sprints. He time trials. And at age 29, Hushovd may still be improving.

DAVID MILLAR (GB) SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR
Millar has shown the ability to win Tour prologues – he was second to Brad McGee in 2003 by eight-hundredths of a second after dropping his chain in the final kilometer. The performance was put in doubt after his admission to using EPO at races later that season; so this year he hopes to show he can win one clean.

STUART O’GRADY (AUS) CSC
This year O’Grady realized a huge dream when he won Paris-Roubaix, one of cycling’s one-day monuments, by riding alone in the wind for the last 15km and not slowing in the slightest for the searing pain in his legs. This perseverance could help him win the prologue. In addition to a long road-racing career, O’Grady is an Olympic gold medalist on the track, a disciplinethat often requires an effort similar to a prologue time trial. Last year O’Grady finished sixth in the prologue, four seconds off the winning pace.

MICHAEL ROGERS (AUS) T-MOBILE
Coming into the 2007 Tour as a GC favorite, Rogers is more interested in donning the yellow jersey at the end of the race than at the beginning. Nonetheless, this three-time world time-trial champion has what it takes to win the race against the clock. Last year, he finished seventh in the prologue, six seconds off Hushovd’s pace.

BRADLEY WIGGINS (GB) COFIDIS
This amiable Brit is the current world and Olympic pursuit champion over 4km. He’s confident that he can repeat his record speeds over twice that distance in his hometown. An easy victory in the prologue time trial at the Dunkirk stage race in May boosted his confidence.

My personal pick for the Prologue is: Levi Leipheimer. He has everything to prove on day one, and almost nothing to lose. He was able to smoke the Prologue at the Amgen Tour of California, and I am sure that he will keep that win fresh in his head on Saturday.

DAVE ZABRISKIE (USA) CSC
Zabriskie holds the Tour record for the fastest-ever Tour time trial (other than a prologue). In 2005 he covered the 19km time-trial course at an average speed of 54.676 kph to beat Lance Armstrong. But the prologue this year is a shorter affair, closer to the one where Brit Chris Boardman set the Tour record with a 55.152-kph ride on a 7.2km course at Lille in 1994. Zabriskie has the power, but perhaps not the bike-handling skills to win this contest.

h/t: Velonews