The Tour de France began with a bang last night, with riders having to negotiate a tough opening stage reminiscent of last year's Road World Championships in Geelong - and it produced its share of early controversy.

Belgian star Philippe Gilbert proved to be the strongest rider over the steep 2km climb to the finish line, to hold off runner-up Cadel Evans, and claim his first victory of Le Tour.

The aggression from both Gilbert and Evans was a definite throwback to last October, when the pair attacked in the final 5km before being reeled-in by the bunch and eventual winner Thor Hushovd. Yesterday Gilbert perfected his sprint to hold-off Evans and third-placed Hushovd.

Such was Gilbert's confidence going into the stage, he had bleached his hair bright blonde to match the yellow jersey he expected to be wearing at the end of the stage.

A three-man breakaway formed early in the stage, but they were easily swamped by the peloton, led by Gilbert's Omega Pharma-Lotto team, as the stage started to reach its crescendo.

The roads started to narrow in the final 10km, only further adding to the anxiety of the 198-man bunch. An Astana rider collided with a spectator on the side of the road, fell, and brought down a further twenty riders. A split formed, and only 30 riders were left to fight out the finish.

Defending champion Alberto Contador was caught up in the chaos, losing 90 seconds to Gilbert and, more importantly, fellow general classification contender Evans.

All the pre-race favourites managed to see themselves through the mess, and as if pre-determined, Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) and Fabian Cancellara (Leopard-Trek) made valiant attempts to win solo, only to be countered by the Belgian rider.

It is unique to start a Tour de France with such a tough stage, only the second time since 1968 that we haven't seen the traditional prologue. Together, Gilbert, Evans, Hushovd, Cancellara and Vinokourov proved why they are the five strongest individual riders on the UCI tour.

Tonight, we will see the return of the team-time-trial. Twenty-two teams comprised of nine riders in unison, racing against the clock for 23km. It could prove to be another chance for the overall contenders to gain even more time on Contador.

If tonight's stage runs as to the same script as the opening stage, 25-year-old Welsh rider Geraint Thomas, currently sitting sixth, could be in yellow for the rest of the first week. His British-based Team Sky is comprised of elite time-trialists, and is led by Brad Wiggins, winner of six Olympic medals on the track, including gold in the 4km individual and team pursuit double in Beijing.

Other teams expected to feature prominently include HTC, RadioShack, Garmin, Saxo Bank, and of course Leopard-Trek, featuring world champion and time-trialling machine Cancellara.