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Summary Sweden's Gustav Larsson won 9.4-kilometre time-trial to take first stage of Paris-Nice classic.
Swedens Gustav Larsson on Sunday won the 9.4-kilometre (5.8-mile) time-trial here to take the first stage of the Paris-Nice classic.The Vacansoleil rider beat Britains much-fancied Bradley Wiggins by one second, with American Levi Leipheimer in third four seconds down. Leipheimers compatriot Tejay Van Garderen was off the pace by nine seconds.Last years winner of the race to the sun, Germanys world time-trial champion Tony Martin, was down 25 seconds on Larsson, with another favourite, Spains Alejandro Valverde, 30 seconds off the stage winner.The first Frenchman was Sylvain Chavanel, who took sixth place in the race opener.Wiggins, Andreas Kloeden and Martin were the last off the starting line but were left to ride in difficult conditions after the heavens opened in the last half-hour of the race.Thirty-one year old Larsson won an Olympic time-trial silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.On Monday, the second stage takes the riders 185.5 kilometres from Mantes-la-Jolie, in the Yvelines district west of the capital Paris, to Orleans.
