Froome says GC battle will commence from day one (Reuters)

By Martyn Herman UTRECHT, Netherlands (Reuters) – Chris Froome reckons there will be no phoney war when the Tour de France begins with a 14km individual time trial through the streets of the picturesque Dutch city Utrecht on Saturday. “Tomorrow’s prologue time trial is definitely the start of the GC (general classification) battle,” 30-year-old all rounder Froome, one of the main favorites along with Spain’s Alberto Contador, Italian Vincenzo Nibali and Colombia’s Nairo Quintana. “Even though it’s short at just under 14km there can be time gaps and I believe there can be time gaps of 20 seconds between some of the main GC contenders.” While nothing will be won or lost in Utrecht, a poor ride or getting unlucky with some of the predicted thunderstorms could put some of the main contenders under early pressure.