Michael Kwaitkowski has said that he is looking forward to the rest of the Paris-Nice race after taking victory in the opening prologue.
The Polish rider for Etixx Quick-Step beat Rohan Dennis and team mate Tony Martin's time to take the win by hundredths of a second and he told his team's website: "I knew at 500 meters that it was going to be really close.
"I had the split times of Tony, which was a really big advantage for me to pace myself along the parcours. It was key to start as one of the last riders, on such a strong lineup of Etixx - Quick-Step.
"I'm happy that I had those great split times of a champion like Tony. At 500 meters I just tried to do my best sprint possible and that helped me get the win. I'm really happy about this victory with such strong competitors, but in the end it is just 6.7 kilometers of about a thousand kilometers before the finish line in Nice.
"It's going to be a week of hard racing. But the one-week races can suit my skills, so we will see what can happen. The main goals are still ahead.
"I'm excited about what I did today, but I'm looking forward to the rest of Paris-Nice, defending the yellow jersey with a strong team here. We will do our best day-to-day.
"I'm still a young guy, turning 25 this year, so I am still developing as a rider even with the success like today. I am looking forward to the experience of Paris-Nice the rest of this week."