The 2012 Tour de France begins on Saturday with a 3.9mi (6.4km) individual time trial through Liège, Belgium. The extremely short course features only five turns and no substantial technical risks, so the standings should be incredibly tight after day one. Swiss time trial specialist Fabian Cancellara of Team Radioshack-Nissan is a favorite to win the stage; he's won the last three Tour de France prologues he's entered. Bradley Wiggins of Sky Procycling and Tony Martin of Omega Pharma-Quickstep are both strong time trial riders who stand in his way.
Television Coverage: NBC Sports Network beginning at 8 a.m. ET
Streaming Coverage: Online Video via NBC Sports
Stick with this storystream for previews, updates 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.
