World Champion Michael Kwiatkowski of Etixx Quick Step has won the prologue of the Paris-Nice race.
This "Race To The Sun" this year starts and finishes with an individual time trial and there was a very strong field for this race organised by Tour De France bosses ASO for the prologue which was a 6.7km stage that began and ended in Maurepas.
At 1.35pm local time, British rider Daniel McLay of Bretagne Seche Enviroment was first down the ramp to get this race under way and finished in a time to beat of 8.40.
That was soon bettered with Dylan Van Baarle, the next man to start, a minute later, clocking a time of 8:04.
That time lasted until Giacomo Nizzolo came home two seconds quicker and then Tiago Machado of Trek Factory Racing finished in 8.00.
Former World Hour Record champion Rohan Dennis went down the ramp and he finished in a new best time of 7.40.
Team Sky's Richie Porte finished in 7.55 but the real threat to Dennis' chances of victory were from Tony Martin of Etixx Quick Step and Team Sky's Sir Bradley Wiggins.
Martin in his German national time trial champion's jersey, could not beat the Australian's time and finished in 7.47 to go provisionally second.
Team Sky's Geraint Thomas posted a time of 7.54 and British rider Simon Yates of Orica GreenEdge finished in 8.21 before World Champion Michael Kwiatkowski put in a superb ride to beat Dennis' time by hundredths of a second.
Wiggins could only finish in 7.55 and with no-one else beating a time of 7.40, Michal Kwiatkowski was the winner.
Time Trial Result
1 Kwiatkowski 7.40
2 Dennis+0
3 Martin+7
4 LL Sanchez+10
5 Boom+10
6 Degenkolb+10
7 Chavanel+10
8 Matthews+12
9 Dumoulin+13 1
0 Thomas+14
11 van Garderen+14
12 Wiggins+15
13 Porte+15
14 Kelderman+16