This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.
Rohan Dennis pulled off an audacious upset on a hot and windy afternoon in Utrecht to record his first professional time trial victory and become the seventh Australian to wear the yellow jersey. German national champion Tony Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) struggled in the conditions as he finished second, five seconds behind Dennis. Having won the last five opening tests against the clock in the Tour de France, Fabian Cancellara could only manage third with the BMC rider upsetting the favourites with the fastest ever Tour de France time trial.
Having switched to BMC from Garmin mid-way through last season, the move has paid dividends for Dennis has since won the Tour Down Under, held the world Hour Record, worn yellow at the Critérium du Dauphiné. He was also a member of BMC's world champion team time trial success last September.
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A flying ride by Jos Van Emden (LottoNL-Jumbo) saw the Dutchman record the fastest time at the intermediate checkpoint and set the early mark for success. Dennis put 15 seconds into his time to book a long and nervous afternoon in the hot seat.
"We decided to go off early, set a benchmark and make everyone else chase me. It worked out perfectly," said Dennis who had finished second in his last two time trials. "There's a little bit of shock. We've worked with the team and came out here about a month ago to check and recon the course. It's the Tour de France and the yellow jersey. I've always dreamed of being in this position and now I am.
"It started to sink in when I saw the big threats come in behind me. It was surreal but a few emotions came out."
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