Aussie wins Tour de France opener

Rohan Dennis won the first stage of the Tour de France in record speed in the individual time trial on Saturday, while defending Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali gained some precious time on his main rivals.

Dennis powered along the 8.6-mile flat and windy urban circuit through Utrecht, Netherlands, in 14 minutes, 56 seconds.

“I didn’t expect to go that fast,” the Australian rider said. “I was just thinking ‘16 minutes, 16 minutes’ from what I did in training, and in the end I got a bonus.”

His average speed of 34.4 mph beat the record by British rider Chris Boardman on the 1994 Tour prologue, albeit over a shorter distance.

Three-time world champ Tony Martin trailed five seconds behind in second place, and four-time world champ Fabian Cancellara was six seconds back in third.

Nibali, who tried to counter the searing heat by warming up with a bag of ice cubes strapped to his back, finished 43 seconds behind Dennis in 22nd place.

“I felt good, and I’m satisfied I gained time on the other top favorites,” Nibali said.

He was seven seconds ahead of 2013 Tour champ Chris Froome (39th), 15 seconds up on two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador (46th), and 18 seconds ahead of Nairo Quintana (57th).

The race stays in the Netherlands for today’s second stage, which starts out from Utrecht before ending 103 miles later at the heart of the Zeeland Delta. Cycling along the Dutch coastline promises to be tricky for riders, with heavy gusts and sprays.

The Tour swings into Belgium on Monday.