Cancellara takes charge

Riding with an easy smoothness, his hips nearly motionless, his body tucked into a neat arrow position, two-time defending world time-trial winner Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland won the opening prologue of the Amgen Tour of California on Sunday afternoon in Palo Alto. Cancellara rides for CSC, a Danish team owned by an El Segundo company.

The two-mile route cut across the Stanford campus, past the football stadium and through the classic architecture and palm trees that make the school so scenic. The 650-mile race ends Sunday at the Rose Bowl.

Cancellara conquered the course in 3 minutes 51.211 seconds. Finishing second was British world pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins of Team High Road in a time of 3:55.980. Third was 23-year-old American Tyler Farrar of Slipstream-Chipotle with a time of 3:56.46. All three race for teams that have been in the forefront in promoting their anti-doping efforts.

Defending champion Levi Leipheimer, riding for Astana, finished fourth but will be a favorite to take over the leader’s jersey Monday after the 96.8-mile first stage.

After Rock Racing team owner Michael Ball had threatened to pull his team because three of his riders, including former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton, were not approved entry because of a possible open doping investigation, five racers wearing the black and lime green racing suits that featured a skull and crossbones took the line for the team.

Receiving the loudest applause of the afternoon was 40-year-old Mario Cipollini, who came out of a two-year retirement to work for Ball.

Cipollini finished the prologue in 44th place. “The size of the crowd was amazing and caught me off guard,” Cipollini said. “It was great to hear so many people cheering my name.”

Sunday’s prologue started in downtown Palo Alto and the flat course quickly took a turn onto campus, where streets were lined four and five deep with fans.

The course finished at the Stanford Oval.

Cancellara, who won the prologue in London at last year’s Tour de France, started 129th among the 132 riders on 17 teams. It took him a moment to realize he had moved into the lead.

“I was so concentrated on the course which was so short,” Cancellara said. “Then at the end, you have given everything that you can and I needed a few minutes to calm down and slow my breathing. Then I saw my time.”

Neither countryman Oliver Zaugg (Gerolsteiner) or American George Hincapie (Team High Road) nor the final starter Leipheimer could threaten Cancellara’s lead.

Farrar had held the best time for about 40 minutes before Wiggins topped him. This is Farrar’s first year back on a U.S-based team after riding in Europe for two years for the French team Cofidis.

Farrar, from Wenatchee, Wash., has been considered in cycling circles perhaps the top young American rider. His results in Europe, though, were hampered after he broke his clavicle in a pileup at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France in 2006.

In a different crash in the same race, American rider Saul Raisin broke his clavicle and hip and suffered a head injury that left him in a coma.

Raisin, who defied an early diagnosis of permanent brain damage to regain his health, cannot race any more.

“My injury was a bit of a hiccup in my season,” Farrar said, “but a crash like that combined with what happened to Saul kind of plays with your head. It makes you a little hesitant at first.”

Farrar said the fact his team -- headed by outspoken anti-doping crusader Jonathan Vaughters -- had four riders in the top 10 was an affirmation. “You can ride clean and do well,” Farrar said.

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diane.pucin@latimes.com

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Tour of California

* Prologue: The first day of the third-year event featured the return of former world titlist Mario Cipollini of Italy. Cipollini, 40, a winner of a record 42 Tour of Italy stages, retired in 2005. He finished 44th in the prologue, trailing the leader by 17 seconds. The eight-day event continues today with a 97-mile Sausalito to Santa Rosa road race. The 650-mile event concludes Sunday with a 93-mile seventh stage from Santa Clarita to Pasadena.

-- Associated Press

*--* PROLOGUE, at Palo Alto, 2.05 miles Rider, Country Time 1. Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland 3:51.211 2. Bradley Wiggins, Britain 3:55.980 3. Tyler Farrar, Wenatchee, Wa. 3:56.463 4. Levi Leipheimer, Santa Rosa 3:57.525 5. Edvald Hagen, Norway 3:58.891 6. Gustav Larsson, Sweden 3:59.199 7. David Zabriskie, Salt Lake City 3:59.584 8. Mark Cavendish, Britain 3:59.651 9. David Millar, Britain 3:59.789 10. Steven Cozza, Petaluma, Calif. 4:00.125 *--*