Tour de France 1st stage under way

  Kick off: Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, center, leads the pack during the parade prior to the start of the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 223,5 kilometers (139 miles) with start in Rotterdam, Netherlands and finish in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday. AP/Bas Czerwinski

Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara is wearing the leader's yellow jersey as the riders in the Tour de France set off for the first stage, through Belgian and Dutch lowlands.

Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong is fourth overall after the opening-day prologue time trial, and is the highest-placed of the expected title contenders in the 195-man field now riding on the 223.5-kilometer trek from Rotterdam to Brussels, Belgium.

Cancellara won the prologue on Saturday, with Armstrong 22 seconds behind and Alberto Contador - the 2009 winner and prerace favorite - in sixth, 27 seconds back.

Portugal's Manuel Cardoso and Swiss rider Mathias Frank didn't start Sunday after crashing out with injuries on Saturday.