The 2012 Tour de France begins on Saturday with a 3.9mi (6.4km ) time trial through Liège, Belgium. With a short course that only features five turns, the stage is primarily designed to announce the start of the race and establish an early holder of the Yellow Jersey.
The course favors Radioshack-Nissan's Fabian Cancellara; the Swiss time trial expert has won the last three Tour de France prologues he has entered. Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling) and Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) are also strong time trial riders and will be men to watch on Saturday. There won't be big time gaps between the leaders on such a short course, so whoever wants the stage win will need a monster effort.
Television Coverage: NBC Sports Network beginning at 8 a.m. ET.
Streaming Coverage: Online Video via NBC Sports
Stick with this storystream for previews, results and more from the 2012 Tour de France. For full time cycling news and analysis, head over to SB Nation's cycling blog Podium Cafe.
