Paris, July 06: The 27-year-old Sydneysider won a pursuit Olympic bronze medal in his hometown three years ago after being world champion in the track discipline but his victory over 6.5 km in the streets of Paris, in seven minutes and 26 seconds, outshone his past feats. McGee, who won a Tour stage last year near the Mont St Michel, had been convinced to come to France by FDJeux team chief Marc Madiot after watching a Tour stage with the Eiffel Tower in the background in 2000. "Since Marc introduced me to the Tour, I knew it was the race of my life," he said. "It's more important for me than my Olympic medals. It's unbelievable." McGee's victory was all the more convincing as he beat favourites like Briton David Millar, who finished second, 0.80 seconds behind him, while four times Tour champion Lance Armstrong had to be content with seventh place, seven seconds off the pace. Spain's Haimar Zubeldia was an unexpected third, two seconds adrift. "My pursuit skills helped me on a course like this. Today, the bike was like another leg and another arm for me.

"But the main thing was the nerves," McGee said. Millar, who won the prologue in 2000, had great expectations before the start but his hopes were shattered when he suffered a mechanical incident shortly before the finish.

"I can say this is a great disappointment. I tried to speed up before the last curve and my chain jumped off," he said. But McGee had his problems too, finishing the course with a flat tyre.

"I owe this victory to my team. We have a great staff, a great atmosphere and we had made plans to win this," said McGee, whose only previous prologue win was in the Dauphine Libere last year. His FDJeux.com team had never before led the Tour in seven participations.

Armstrong, who is aiming for a record-equalling fifth Tour in the year of the race centenary, had a relatively disappointing prologue.

The American, who won the Tour prelude in 1999 and last year, had been reluctant to start the race with the yellow jersey on his shoulders as it had not brought him luck in the past.

But the Texan agreed to wear it with the initials HD as homage to Tour founder Henri Desgrange, who launched the Tour in 1903.

By contrast, 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, back on the race after missing it last year through injury, made an impressive return, finishing fourth in the same time as Zubeldia.

The first stage will lead the riders from the Stade de France to Meaux over 168 km on Sunday. Leading placings in Saturday's 6.5-km prologue of the Tour de France: 1. Brad McGee (Australia) FDJeux.com 7 minutes 26 seconds 2. David Millar (Britain) Cofidis same time 3. Haimar Zubeldia (Spain) Euskaltel 2 seconds behind 4. Jan Ullrich (Germany) Team Bianchi same time 5. Victor Hugo Pena (Colombia) US Postal Service 6 6. Tyler Hamilton (U.S.) Team CSC same time 7. Lance Armstrong (U.S.) US Postal Service 7 8. Joseba Beloki (Spain) ONCE 9 9. Santiago Botero (Columbia) Team Telekom same time 10. Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia) US Postal service 11 11. Michael Rich (Germany) Gerolsteiner 12. Levi Leipheimer (U.S.) Rabobank 13. George Hincapie (U.S.) US Postal Service all same time 14. Vladimir Karpets (Russia) iBanesto.com 12 15. Mikel Astarloza (Spain) Ag2R 16. Jose Enrique Gutierrez (Spain) Kelme both same time 17. Laszlo Bodrogi (Hungary) Quick Step 13 18. Thor Hushovd (Norway) Credit Agricole 19. Michael Rogers (Australia) Quick Step 20. Laurent Brochard (France) Ag2R 21. Gilberto Simoni (Italy) Saeco all same time 22. Jorg Jaksche (Germany) ONCE 14 23. Tobias Steinhauser (Germany) Team Bianchi same time 24. Marc Wauters (Belgium) Rabobank 16 25. Daniel Becke (Germany) Team Bianchi same time 26. Olaf Pollack (Germany) Gerolsteiner 17 27. Torsten Schmidt (Germany) Gerolsteiner 28. Antonio Tauler (Spain) Kelme both same time 29. Uwe Peschel (Germany) Gerolsteiner 18 30. Philippe Gaumont (France) Cofidis same time

Bureau Report