The 189-rider field set off at one minute intervals, with three-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong off last at 1808 BST.

1 L Armstrong (US Postal) 9 mins 8.78
2 L Jalabert (CSC Tiscali) 9:10.52
3 R Rumsas (Lampre) 9:11.97
4 S Botero (Kelme) 9:12.6
5 D Millar (Cofidis) 9:13.48

1817: Lance Armstrong obliterates the field with a ride of 9 minutes eight seconds around the 7km course in Luxembourg.

The three-time tour winner beat his nearest rival Laurent Jalabert by almost two seconds.

1816: Three-time tour third-placeman Spain's Joseba Beloki does not trouble the leading riders.

1813: Britain's David Millar goes fourth as Lance Armstrong gets to the first time check just off the pace.

1811: Fancied rider Christophe Moreau trails in well down as Laurent Jalabert shatters the lead.

1808: Lance Armstrong sets off.

1800: With only eight minutes to Lance Armstrong's departure the lead is changing hands with lightning regularity as the top riders compete to get in an early blow.

1758: France's Laurent Brochard goes second.

1755: Colombian Santiago Botero goes first followed very shortly after by a new second-place man Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano. US Postal climber Roberto Heras finishes in 12th.

1752: American Tyler Hamilton, of CSC Tiscali, comes home in sixth for now, in 9:26.

1744: IBanesto.com's Francisco Mancebo squeezes into third in front of Antonio Tauler as Belgian Tom Steels limps home well down the field.

1742: Francois Simon, one of last year's yellow jersey wearers, is on course, as is new French champion Nicolas Vogondy and American Tyler Hamilton.

1734: Another Australian sprinter, Robbie McEwen (Lotto), sets off as Antonio Tauler (Kelme Costa Blanca) edges into third.

1729: Australian sprint specialist Stuart O'Grady (Credit Agricole) finishes in a time of 9:31.

1724: Laszlo Bodrogi of Mapei-Quick Step shaves two tenths of a second off Brad McGee's time.

1706: Australia's Brad McGee (FDJ), winner of the Dauphine Libere time trial, sets a new fastest time of 9:21.

1702: The streets around Luxembourg are now dry and the crowds are out in force, lining the entire route.

1654: Russia's Viatcheslav Ekimov finishes in 9:27 to go eighth.

1650: Cofidis rider Inigo Cuesta blasts into the lead with a time of 9:23.

Andrea Peron (CSC Tiscali) is one second back, Rubens Bertogliati (Lampre) is two seconds behind and George Hincapie (US Postal) is six seconds adrift in fourth.

1644: Olympic time trial champion Viatcheslav Ekimov sets off in his 12th Tour de France.

1640: Rubens Bertogliati (Lampre Daikin) goes second with 9:25, one second behind leader Andrea Peron.

1635: Mikel Pradera (ONCE), who set the fastest time at 3.5 km, slows over the second half to come in seventh in 9:47.

1630: Andrea Peron, of CSC Tiscali, beats George Hincapie to take the lead with a time of 9:24, four seconds faster than the US Postal rider.

1628: ONCE's Mikel Pradera sets the fastest time of the day at the 3.5km mark of 4:10.

1623: South African Robbie Hunter goes third ahead of Abraham Olano, seven seconds behind Hincapie.

Rabobank's Bram De Groot is currently second with a time of 9:33. Seventy two riders have finished.

1615: US Postal's George Hincapie still leads with 9:29 after 66 of the 189 riders have completed the course.

1551: Lance Armstrong's team-mate George Hincapie edges out Carlos Sastre (CSC Tiscali) and Pedro Horillo (Mapei) for the lead with a time of 9:29.

1545: Abraham Olano (ONCE) is flying and sets the fastest time at the intermediate check at 4.3 km of 4:15.

1541: Spain's Abraham Olano (ONCE), the 1995 world road race champion and former world time trial champion, begins his race.

1529: The sun is now drying out the roads as Gonzalez de Galdeano set a fastest time so far of 9:49.

1527: Cofidis' Nico Mattan races home in 9:52 to edge out Marc Wauters, of Rabobank, and Norway's Thors Hushovd.

1521: Austrian Gerhard Trampusch, of Mapei-Quick Step, was the ninth rider to start and sets the best time so far of 10:00.

1519: Alvaro Gonzalez de Galdeano of ONCE begins, brother of Tour contender Igor.

1511: Auge sets the opening time of 10 minutes 28 seconds.

1508: A light drizzle begins to fall making the road surface slippery.

1500: The first rider, Stephane Auge, leaves the start hut.