The HTC-Highroad team of Judith Arndt, Chloe Hosking, Amber Neben, Amanda Miller, Adrie Visser and Ina Teutenberg won the opening prologue team time trial of the Thüringen-Rundfahrt in Jena. The American team completed the technical 3.4km urban course in a time of 4’34”, seven seconds ahead of the Garmin-Cervélo team of Lizzie Armitstead, Noemi Cantele, Sharon Laws, Emma Pooley, Trine Schmidt and Iris Slappendel.
Teutenberg crossed the line at the head of the HTC-Highroad team, to take the first yellow jersey of the race.
"It is great to have such a strong lead right out of the prologue," said HTC-Highroad sport director Jens Zemke, "With such a short distance, the seven seconds is a lot."
With four riders on the same time, including Arndt, who finished third in the Giro d’Italia Femminile earlier in the month, HTC-Highroad hopes to defend its lead in the next stage; the hilly Rund um Gera.
"Tomorrow is a one hundred and nineteen kilometre course, and we will have to be smart with our strategy on how to keep this lead,” said Zemke. “Even though it is a significant amount of time that does not mean we want to waste any of it."
"I see Thüringen Rundfahrt as the second biggest race on the calendar behind the Giro Donne," he explained. "Most stages are a hundred to one hundred thirty kilometres, there's a hard time trial- everything that makes a stage race hard is here. The organization of the race is superb."
Zemke singled out the German time trial champion for particular praise for her performance in the team time trial.
"Judith Arndt did an excellent job pulling for the girls today,” he said. “They all rode wonderfully and are ready for the next six days."
Result prologue
1. HTC-Highroad
2. Garmin-Cervélo @ 7s
3. Russian National Team @ 9s
4. Hitec Products-UCK @ 10s
5. Skil-Koga @ 11s
6. AA Drink-Leontien.nl @ 12s
7. German National Team @ 13s
8. Horizon Fitness-Prendas
9. Australian National Team
10. MCipollini-Giambenini @ 16s
Standings after prologue
1. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC-Highroad
2. Judith Arnddt (Ger) HTC-Highroad
3. Amanda Miller (USA) HTC-Highroad
4. Amber Neben (USA) HTC-Highroad
5. Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) Garmin-Cervélo @ 7s