David Millar has beaten the challenge of Lance Armstrong and will wear the yellow jersey.

18:33 - Armstrong Second

Lance Armstrong is 2" behind David Millar's time to finish in second for the day.

18:32 - Zulle At The Finish

At the finish, Alex Zulle has not been able to catch the time of Millar and is 20" behind Millar.

18:28 - Ullrich Currently 3rd

David Millar leads the 1997 winner by 14" at the finish.

18:27 - Zulle 18" behind at 8.5km.

At the 8.5km mark, Zulle is 18 seconds behind the time of David Millar. At the same point, Armstrong was 3 seconds behind the British rider.

18:25 - Millar Ready For Yellow?

Could David Millar repeat Chris Boardman's Tour debut and also wear the yellow jersey after his first time trial? At the moment he leads the field at all checks.

18:24 - Armstrong At Third Time Check

At the 8.5km mark, Lance Armstrong is behind the time of David Millar by 3 seconds.

18:22 - Bartoli Now Passes Third Check

At the 3rd time check Bartoli is 26" behind Millar - pushing Olano to 10th at that check.

18:21 - Olano Drops Back At Third Check

At the 3rd time check (8.5km) Olano is in 9th place so far. He is 27" behind the time of David Millar at the same point.

18:19 - Armstrong Looking Good

Armstrong has just pushed his way into the fastest time at the 3.7km mark - he is 4" better than the previous best of the day so far.

18:18 - Zulle Equals Bartoli

At the 3.7km mark, Zulle is on par with Michele Bartoli's time of 4'32".

18:18 - Armstrong's First Time Check

At the 2.7km mark, Armstrong is on the same pace as Casero, Olano and Bartoli with the fastest time check of the day!

18:16 - Bartoli Setting Furious Pace

Michele Bartoli has moved into fourth place at the 3.7km mark. The Italian champion is just one second behind the time of Millar and Ullrich at the same point.

18:15 - Ullrich Equal With Millar at 3.7km

At the second time check of the day, Jan Ullrich is equal with David Millar's time.

18:14 - Armstrong On Course For Defence

Lance Armstrong has begun his Tour de France defence bolting out of the start house at 6.14pm.

18:12 - Olano Pushing The Limit

Abraham Olano almost rode into the barriers on one of the few corners of the time trial course. The ONCE rider fell in the Metz time trial last year... His first time check has him in second place at the 2.7km mark - 2" behind Casero's time.

18:11 - Pantani 100th At First Time Check

At the 2.7km mark, Marco Pantani is in 100th place - 14" behind the time of Angel Casero.

18:10 - Olano Now Racing

The winner of the time trial world championship in 1998, Abraham Olano has just left the start house. He will be followed by Michael Boogerd, Michele Bartoli, Fernando Escartin, Alex Zulle and Lasnce Armstrong.

18:08 - Ullrich Begins

One of the favorites for the 2000 title, Jan Ullrich, has just started his 16.5km test against the clock.

18:07 - Pantani Racing

The winner of the 1998 Tour de France has just begun his quest for the 2000 title. Clad in pink the Mercatone Uno rider leaves the start house one minute ahead of 1997 winner, Jan Ullrich.

18:06 - Millar Shows A Sign of Things To Come

In his first Tour de France, David Millar has made the time triallers of world cycling stand up and take notice. The 23-year-old is currently the leader of the Tour de France... But 30 riders have yet to finish.

18:01 - Millar Best Time So Far

David Millar has just recorded the best time so far with 19'03"

17:59 - Virenque On Course

The winner of the King of the Mountains of last year's Tour de France, Richard Virenque, has just begun his 9th Tour de France.

17:57 - Millar Passes Two-Minute Man

David Millar has just caught and passed the rider who started two minutes ahead of him, Gregory Gwiazdowski. Millar is on course for the fastest time so far.

17:56 - The Battle Really Begins

The start of Bonjour's Jean-Cyril Robin has signalled the start of the last rider for each team. Lance Armstrong is now only 20 minutes from starting his Tour defence.

17:53 - Millar Setting The Standard

David Millar has just recorded the best time at the 8.5km check. He is 6" better than Jalabert at the same point!

17:52 - Millar's Second Time Check...

Millar's second time check has him on course for a blistering day... He is on the same time as Jalabert at the 3.7km mark!

17:49 - Spaniard Canada Moves To Second At Second Check

At the 3.7km mark, David Canada has recorded the second best time of the day - the ONCE rider is just 2" behind his team leader, Lauret Jalabert.

17:47 - Maignan Seventh Best Time So Far

Two-time French time trial champion, Gilles Maignan has recorded a time of 19'52" at the finish to move into 7th so far for the day.

17:45 - Millar's First Time Check

At the 2.7km mark, David Millar recorded a time of 2'49" - just one second behind the previous best at that stage of the race!

17:42 - David Millar Racing

The only rider from Great Britain, David Millar, has just begun his first Tour de France. The young time trial specialist from Cofidis will be challenging for the white jersey of Best Young Rider today.

17:40 - Casero Drops Back At Third Check

At the 8.5km mark, Angel Casero is 32" behind the time of Jalabert. The Festina rider recorded the fastest time at the first time check, but has dropped back to 16th by the third check

17:38 - O'Grady Commences

One of the two Australian riders in the Tour, Stuart O'Grady, has just begun his fourth Tour de France. The Aussie's ambition for this Tour is to try and improve on his two previous second-place finishes in the Green Jersey competition.

17:33 - Jiminez On Course

The winner of the recent Classique des Alpes, Jose Maria Jiminez, has just begun his Tour de France. The Banesto rider will be one of Alex Zulle's right-hand men during the three weeks of this Tour.

17:31 - Casero Drops Back After Climb

At the top of the climb, Angel Casero was three seconds behind Jalabert's time.

17:30 - Casero Beats Jalabert's First Time Check

Angel Casero, who used the time trial in Futuroscope at the end of last year's Tour to help move him to fifth overall, is now on course for the fastest time. The Festina rider's first time check was four seconds better than the previous best.

17:20 - Voigt Moves Into Top-5

Credit Agricole's German rider, Jens Voigt, has nudged his way into the top-5 at the finish. He is 11" behind fourth-placed Hamilton and 31" behind the best so far, Jalabert.

17:14 - Hamilton Finishes

Tyler Hamilton has finished his time trial with 19'36". He is currently fourth.

17:12 - Extebarria Falls

The winner of two stages in last year's Tour, Davide Extebarria has fallen badly during the time trial. He has just crossed the line with blood over his face, his arms slumped over the bars and streams of blood coming from his right shoulder.

17:07 - Hamilton Fourth At 8.7km Mark

At the third time check of the day, Tyler Hamilton is 23" behind the time of Laurent Jalabert. His time at that intermediate check is the fourth best so far today.

17:06 - Jalabert Speaks

The rider with the best time so far, Laurent Jalabert, is happy with his time. He says his goal is to finish in the top five of the Tour this year. A podium finish would be a dream come true.

17:04 - Hamilton Debuts Carbon Fibre TT Bike

Riding with a full-disc rear wheel and four-spoke front wheel, Tyler Hamilton is riding US Postal Service's new carbon-fibre time trial frame for the first time in the Tour de France.

17:00 - Hamilton's Second Time Check

At the top of the small (107m) climb, Tyler Hamilton was 8" behind the time of Jalabert - giving him the sixth best time of the day at the second time check.

16:59 - Hamilton's First Time Check

Tyler Hamilton was 3" behind Laurent Jalabert's time at the first time check of the day at 2.7km.

16:55 - Tyler Hamilton On Course

The time trial revelation of the Tour de France, Tyler Hamilton has begun his test against the clock. The rider who finished 13th overall in the 1999 Tour should be the next rider to challenge Jalabert's time.

16:52 - Hamilton Due To Start in Two Minutes

The right-hand man of Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton, is scheduled to start his fourth Tour de France in two minutes' time. The winner of the Dauphine Libere is the 100th rider to start today's time trial.

16:50 - 70 Riders Now Finished

With 70 riders now having completed their time trial, Laurent Jalabert still leads. He is 8" better than Ekimov; 14" better than Simone Bogheresi; 31" better than David Plaza and 40" better than his brother, Nicolas.

16:42 - Jalabert Still Best Time

With 65 riders now having completed the course, Laurent Jalabert retains the best time so far with 19'16" for the 16.5km course.

16:41 - Vasseur Still On Aluminium Bike

Despite the launch of a new carbon-fibre time trial bike for the US Postal team just two days ago, the team's fourth rider today, Cedric Vasseur, has retained the aluminium version as used by Lance Armstrong last year.

16:38 - More Medical Stats

Other interesting points from the Tour medical include the biggest lung capacity: Anthony Morin (with 7.74 litres), and an average amongst the riders of 5.84 litres. The lowest heart-rate award goes to Kurt van de Wouver (33bpm) with an average of 50.51bpm.

16:36 - Stats From The Tour Medical

The medical prior to the start of the Tour de France revealed that Magnus Backstedt is the heaviest rider in the race (at 92.5kg); Leonardo Piepoli the lightest (54kg). Mario Scirea is the tallest (1.94cm) and Salvatore Commesso the shortest (165cm).

16:33 - 80th Rider Starts His Race

Former yellow jersey wearer, Cedric Vasseur (US Postal) is the 80th rider to start today. His team-mate, Tyler Hamilton is the next time trial specialist due to start. The American winner of the Dauphine Libere is the 100th rider scheduled to start today's time trial.

16:29 - Jalabert's Average...

The average speed for Jalabert's ride is 51.031kph.

16:28 - New Best Time

Laurent Jalabert has recorded a new best time for the day. At the finish, the former world number-one recorded a time of 19'16".

16:23 - Jalabert Catches One-Minute Man

Laurent Jalabert has just caught and passed the rider who started one minute ahead of him, Alberto Elli of Telekom.

16:20 - Jalabert's Third Time Check...

At the 8.5km time check, Jalabert is 14 seconds ahead of the previous best (of Ekimov) with a time of 10'10".

16:19 - Disc Wheel For Jalabert

The ONCE team leader, Laurent Jalabert, currently has the best time at the intermediate time checks. The former time trial world champion has opted to ride with a rear disc wheel despite a 15kph north-westerly breeze.

16:17 - Two Hours Until Armstrong's Start

With 39 riders now having finished the 16.5km time trial, there is still a two hour wait until the start of the defendng champion, Lance Armstrong. The US Postal rider is due to start at 6.14pm.

16:14 - Jalabert's Second Time Check

At the 3.7km mark, Laurent Jalabert is 7 seconds better than the previous best time of Ekimov with 4'23".

16:13 - Jalabert's First Time Check

At the first time check of the day (at 2.7km) Laurent Jalabert is equal to the time of Ekimov with 2'52".

16:11 - McRae Currently Sixth Best

The first American to start today, Chann McRae (Mapei-Quickstep), currently has the sixth best time of the day with 20'06".

16:08 - Jalabert Ready To Start

Former world time trial champion, Laurent Jalabert is now in the start house. The French star is the 55th rider to start today.

16:03 - Ekimov's Time Still Best

With 30 riders now having recorded their time for the 16.5km course, Viatcheslav Ekimov's time of 19'24" is still the best of the day so far.

16:00 - National Champions Racing

The recent start of Benoit Joachim and Arvis Piziks means there are now two national champion's on the road today... US Postal's Joachim is the champion of Luxembourg and Piziks (Memory Card Jack & Jones) the champion of Latvia.

15:56 - Laurent Jalabert Next Team Leader to Start

Former world time trial champion, Laurent Jalabert, is the next team leader to take the start today. The ONCE leader is due to start at 4.09pm (Irish time).

15:54 - Ekimov's Time: 19'24"

Viatcheslav Ekimov has recorded a new best time of 19'24". He is 6 seconds better than the previous best, Simone Borgheresi. Ekimov's average was 51.031kph.

15:52 - Lightest Rider Now Racing

Leonardo Piepoli (Saeco) weighed in as the lightest rider in the Tour at 54kg. He is the lightest rider to start today's time trial.

15:48 - Borgheresi: 19'30"

Simone Borgheresi's time is the new best at 19 minutes 30 seconds.

15:47 - Three Riders Finish Together

Simone Boregheresi (Mercatone Uno) has caught his one-minute man (Agnolutto) and his two-minute man (Atienza). The three riders have crossed the finishline together.

15:43 - Desbiens fastest so far

The first former Tour de France stage winner to finish today, Laurent Desbiens, has recorded the best time so far: 20'40".

15:41 - 20'42" for Apollonio

Beneteau's time has been beaten by the second rider across the line, Massimo Apollonio. The rider from Vini Caldirola recorded 20'42" for the 16.5km.

15:37 - First Rider's Time...

The first rider to start today, Walter Beneteau, has crossed the finishline. His time is 21 minutes 10 seconds.

15:35 - Ekimov on the road

US Postal's Viatcheslav Ekimov was 10th in the prologue of the 1998 Tour de France. The former world pursuit champion last started the Tour that year.

15:34 - All Teams Now On The Road

The start of US Postal's Russian veteran, Viatcheslav Ekimov, at 3.34pm means there is now a rider from each of the 20 teams on the road for Tour 2000.

15:31 - First American To Start Tour 2000...

Mapei's Chann McRae has left the start house. He is one of the nine Aericans represeted in the Tour de France this year.

15:29 - Zabel En-Route

The winner of last year's Green Jersey, Erik Zabel has started his time-trial. The Telekom star is the 14th rider to start today.

15:28 - Colour change for Mercatone

Simone Borgheresi of Mercatone Uno has started. The rider is wearing the team's pink outfit. Their normal yellow strip has been replaced for the Tour de France. He is the 13th rider to start today.

15:20 - Verbrugghe Due At 3.41pm

Lotto's Rik Verbrugghe - who finished sixth in the prologue of the 1999 Tour - is the first of the team leaders to start today. The 26-year-old is due at 3.41pm.

15:14 - Tour de France 2000 Has Begun!

Riding in his first Tour, Bonjour's Walter Beneteau has left the start house to become the first rider to start the 2000 Tour de France.

15:10 - Start Times of Previous Winners...

The first of the former Tour winners to start today's stage will be Marco Pantani who departs at 6.07pm. He is immediately followed by Jan Ullrich at 6.08pm and Lance Armstrong at 6.14pm.

15:05 - 10 Minutes Until The Start!

16H05 - 10 Minutes Until The Start! The wait for the Tour de France 2000 is almost over. It is now only 10 minutes before the first rider (team Bonjour's Walter Beneteau) leaves the start house.

14:50 - Armstrong Will Go Last

The final rider to take tackle the time trial course today is the defending champion, Lance Armstrong. The US Postal rider is scheduled to begin his test against the clock at 6.14pm Irish time - one hour and 59 minutes after the first rider. Racers start at one-minute intervals.

14:47 - No Yellow Jersey In Stage One

The defending champion, Lance Armstrong (USA/US Postal) will not start in the yellow jersey he won last year. This is because today's time trial is now referred to as 'Stage One' and not 'Prologue'.

14:35 - Perhaps A Dry Race Afterall

After a light drizzle, the roads are now dry with 45 minutes to go before the first rider (Walter Beneteau - France/Bonjour) leaves the start house. There is a breeze of about 15km blowing in from the north - offering riders a fast tailwind with assisted surge across the finishline.

14:26 - 25 Countries Represented

There are 25 nations represeted in this year's Tour. The host nation boasts the most starters with 36, followed by Italy with 32, Spain with 26, then Belgium (14), The Netherlands (13), and both Germany and the United States with nine riders each.