High Road fast man Mark Cavendish soared to a convincing victory in the opening prologue of the Tour of Romandie on Tuesday evening.

The Manxman tore round the 1.9 kilometre prologue in Geneva, Switzerland to take his fourth road win of the season ahead of Italian Daniele Bennati and Swiss rider Michael Albasini. High Road team-mate Bradley Wiggins placed fifth.

It was the perfect distance for me, if it had been longer it would have been more Bradley’s type of time trial.” Cavendish, who averaged a jawdropping 56.425kmh for the prologue, said afterwards. “I went all out from the start, when it’s that short there wasn’t much point in doing anything else, with it being hardly two kilometers it’s just like a sprint. I was just hoping I could maintain that speed all the way through right to the end.  The wind was very strong on the return part. Like a wall”
“That meant the last 500 metres were really tough though, I had gone in so deep that I thought I might crash.”

I’m very pleased with this result. I know I’ve got good form and it’s a good sign for the races I’ve got coming up like the Tour of Italy.”

“We didn’t bother using references to other riders times during the prologue because it was such a short distance. It was just a question of going as fast as possible and seeing what happened.” added directeur sportif Tristan Hoffman.

The course was perfect for Mark - urban, flat, and not too technical, just a few minor corners so he could use all his power. The weather was ideal for the top guys as well - warm and dry.”

lthough most of his professional wins have come in sprints, Cavendish Swiss victory is not the first in a time trial prologue - last year he won the opening race against the clock in the Tour of Britain.