Hello and welcome to our live coverage from the first WorldTour race day of the 2023 season at the Tour𓃲 Down Under!

The first rider is already off in Adelaide!

James Moriarty, riding for the Austr𝄹alian national team, kicks off ꦍproceedings.

No time trial bikes here – the riders will be racing on normal road bike꧋s here. They will, however, be allowed to race with the infamous 'puppy paws' position that has been outlawed by the UCI though.

Read more about that here...

Aero tucks and marginal gains to make a difference in Tour Down Under prologue – Rule clarification from UCI allows aero tuck position on ✃road bikꦛes

Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) and Patri🌄ck Bevin (Team DSM) amon♔g the early starters.

A look at🎐 the ma😼p of today's stage – some technical sections but a few places to put the power down, too.

Moriarty coming home to set the first 🔥time of the day...

He finishes with a 6:38 to lead the standings.

Arkea-Samsic m🅘an Kevi꧑n Ledanois goes four seconds quicker.

Bettiol, meanwhile, sma🌠shꦬes that time to go quickest with 6:19.

Of course, today is the first time we'll see the new team kits of 2023 in🅠 action.

Bettiol of EF and Dries Devenyns of Soudal-QuickStep among th🐽e early runners showing off their new thr🦩eads.

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:These are the 2023 team kits

Aussie rider Cameron Scott sets off 🅠to make his B𒐪ahrain Victorious debut.

Bettiol's🌱 6:19 still the quickest time so far by some 12 seconds.

Leo Hayter, Chris F𓂃roome, Luke Durbridge, Caleb Ewan a🌌mong the next batch of starters here.

There are some spots of rain falling 💙out on course. Not what you might expect from the Tour🌜 Down Under!

A 6:44 for Dries Devenyns sees him go ninth qꦛuickest. Now it's time for Leo Hayter to make his WorldTour debut.

21-year-old Hayter is the U23 Giro d'Italia champion and also the British U23 time trial cꦍhampion. One to watch far beyond today, that's for sure.

Chris Froome kicks off h꧙is ride in Is🍬rael-Premier Tech's bright new kit. It's the first race day outside the WorldTour for the team.

Rain on the camera lens and wet roads out on course now. This might just have a big effect on the times today as Luke Durbridge (🐓Jayco-AlUla) tentatively rolls off.

It's only coming down heavier now as more and more riders roll dജown the start ramp. Not ideal at all💟.

Trek-Segafredo's Emils Liepins rolls home with a bent handlebar and some cuts and grazes. It looks like the🙈 Latvian is the fi𝓀rst crash victim of the 2023 WorldTour.

A 6:43 for Leo Hayter. We're seeing times🅺 up arou🐻nd the seven-minute mark with the recent finishers.

Bettiol's 6:19 looks a long way awaꦰy in these wet conditions...

Hayter shakes his hea🌳d as he crosses the finish line. The rain is coming down hard 🦋now.

Caleb Ewan amo𒅌ng the riders out on course at the moment. He's riding for the Australian national team here.

Bettiol was the fourth man off today and he might'🐼ve played a blinder here with the rain pouring down after he finished his riওde. 

Will anybody get close to that 6:19 time today?

A 7:16 for Froome at the finish line.

A 7:12 for Durbridge. He was second in the 🎃time trial at the recent Australian Nationals but looked like he wasn't taking any risks today.

The top three so far...

1 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education-EasyPost 0:06﷽:19

2 Samuel Gaze (NZl) Alpecin-Deceuninck 0:06:30

3 Hu𓆏go Page (Fra) Intermarche-Circus-Wanty 0:06:31

As the men's Tour Downౠ Under gets underway in these awful conditions, the three-stage Women's To💯ur Down Under has just finished.

Check out our report on the final stage of action here

EF🔥's new signing for 2023,🔴 Mikkel Honore, has taken a spill and it looks like Chris Hamilton of DSM has fallen on the same corner...

Sjoerd Bax's recent time 👍of 6:50 is only the second of the last 1🐽3 under seven minutes.

Luis Leon Sanchez, winne🎀r of this race in 2005, gꦚets underway back in Astana colours.

Now 39, he beat Lotto-Dstny DS Allan Davies and Tour Down Under race director Stuart O'Grady to win this 🔯race all those years ago.

Luis León Sánchez: at my age you're worse at some things but better at others

Time of 6:40 fro💛m Sven Erik Bystrom and Michael Gogl are the best we've seen in a while...

Only good for ninth and 10th, though.

Simon Ya🌳tes, George Bennett, Mattia Catta🐭neo among the next batch of starters.

Sanchez sneaks🌠 in under seven minutes with a time ofꦺ 6:59.

Now Simon Yates rolls down the start ramp in the new look𒅌 Jayco-AlUla kit. This team is, of course, formerly known as BikeExchange-Jayco.

A 6:49 for Natnael Tesfatsion – not a꧃ bad way to ♈kick off his time at Trek-Segafredo after making the switch from Androni Giocattoli.

Nobody has come within 20 seconds of Al🃏berto Bettiol's time since the rain started falling.

More riders getting in under seven minutes now, though. Kim Heiduk, Timo Roosen✤, and Taj Jones all foll🐟owing Tesfatsion in getting under that time. 

A few riders heeding this ro🍬ad marking out on the course t𒁃oday in these dismal conditions...

A 6:45 for Yates as he kicks off his 🌺race.🌜 Not a bad time in the wet.

Yates the latest man to shake his head𒀰 as he 🐟crosses the finish line.

Fourth overall at women’s Tour Down Under a bittersweet result for Jayco-Alula

'It’s nice to get fourth but ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚwe wanted more' Roseman-Gannon tells Cyclingnews

A time of 6:54 for George Bennett.

Austra🌞lians Matthew Dinham (Groupama-FDJ) and Jens꧂en Plowright (Alpecin-Deceuncink) head off to make their pro debuts.

And now Mattia Cattaneo starts his ride.

Another crash on that same corner late on the course and it's anot🦩her EF rider, American 𓄧Sean Quinn.

Our 50th sta🍎r🀅ter has rolled down the ramp – Andre Carvalho of Cofidis.

Yet another crash on that same late ๊corner. It's Plowright, who slides out before getting back up s✅wiftly.

He still crosses the line at under seven minutes🉐, thoug♒h. 6:57 for him.

And Mattia Cattaneo also puts in a decent time wit♋h a 6:49.

Bettiol's leading time s﷽aw him race around the 💫course with a speed of 52.2kph.

Only three others 𒉰have broken the 50kph barrier, and few have even managed to hit 49kph♈ since the rain started.

Ben Swift, Jai Hindley, two-time winner Daryl Imp๊ey among the latest starters.

Hindley kicks off his race with a time of 7:03.

A shot of Sean Quinn getting back up after c😼rashing during his run eꦦarlier on.

The rain has stopped but it's still wet o🌃u꧋t on course and times aren't really coming down.

Marc Hirschi crosses the line with a time ofꦑ 6:47. That's the best ride for a while though he's only 17th quickest so far.

Ger༒aint Thomas the next major name to start in seven minutes.

WIth the puppy paw rules not applying today, we've seen riders set off with their shifters turned inღ. Pello Bilbao, who has just set off🔥, has taken it to another level, though.

His shifters are pushed inwards almostﷺ as far as possible and the Spaniard gets super-aero straight away.

Bilbao with a time of 4:53 𓆉at the checkpoint to go ninth quickest. That's the best time there in about 40 minutes.

A look at Bilbao in hi🐼s aero tuck out on course. Check out those shifters!

Now Geraint Thomas starts his ride.

6:38 for Bilbao! He's eighth quickest.

That's the best time set since the rain started. The top seven times so fa𒉰r were set by seven of the ꦰfirst eight men to set off.

James Moriarty, who set off first, set a time of 6:38, fractionally slowಌer than Bilb🐠ao.

Michael Matthews sets off.

A 7:03 for Thomas, who didn't look like he was taking massive risk✃s today.

Meanwhile, Matthews has flown around the course. The Australian setꦯs a time of 6:33 to go fourth fastest!!

No other major favourites out on course at 𓄧the mom🐟ent.

Around 50 riders left to start their ruꦦns now. Michael Storer is out on course now.

A looඣk at Michael Matthews during♕ his impressive ride earlier on.

Meanwhile, Storer crosses෴ the lineꦺ with a time of 7:08.

Australian road champion Lukಞe Plapp kicks off his race.

He's out there with Jos Van Emden, Max Schachmann, and Sಌimon Clarke at the moment.

Trek-Segafre🍰do's second-year pro Marc Brustenga puts in a nic𝓡e ride to go eighth fastest with a time of 6:37.

Michael Storer getting aero during his run.

Plapp ends up in 12th with a time of 6:39.

Riders are getting well under the seven-minute mark now with the rain having stopped and t🧔he roads slowly drying up.

Brustenga and Matthews the onl🍸y riders to break into the top 10 since the rain.

Now another lull in proceedings as we wait for more big guns to take th💛e start late on.

Marc Brustenga, who has put in one of the 🎃more impressi🦹ve rides on the drying course.

Ben O'Connor sets off. Rohan Dennis and🎀 Magnus Sheffield are setting off next. 

If Dennis doesn't beat Bettiol's t♔ime then you sense nobody else will be able to.

ꦬ4:50 for Dennis at the checkpoint. That's goo🐎d for seventh quickest...

Jay Vine starting shortly in his new UAE Team Emirဣates c🥀olours.

Sheffield quicker than Dennis at the checkpoint. The American's time of 4:44 is still five seconds down ✅on Bettiol, though.

Seventh place for Dennis as he finisheᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚs with a time of 6:36.

And Sheffield goes even quicker. He couldn't beat Bettiol either, though, and𒊎 he goes second with a time of 6:27.

Australian TT champion Jay Vine is out on course now🅠. Can he beat Bettiol?

B𒁃ritish TT champion Ethan Hayter will be heading out soon as well...

A shot of Rohan Dennis during his run.

Vine has set a time of 4:50 at the chec🉐kpoint. Ninth quickest.

His fe♒llow Australians Miles Scotson and Kaden Groves are setting off now.

6:33 at the finish for Vine, good for sixthꦍ place.

DSM's Marius Mayrhofer with a nice sta𒐪rt to go s꧟ixth at the checkpoint.

A look at our leader Alberto Bettiol, who has been in the hot se♌at for two hours now.

The times are dropping now. Julius Johansen third 🥃at the checkpoint, Scotson seventh.

6:29 for Johansen puts him in third!

Scotson 10th at 6:35.

Johansen w🐬ith a good time today on the drying roads.

Meanwhile Kaden Groves has flown around the course to put in a time of 6:30 for fourth place. It's his first race day for his new team 🐟Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Gianni Moscon is next to roll down the ramp. Ethan Hayter a few mi💎nutes later.

Still nobody is any clo🌠ser to Bettiol than Sheffield at eight seconds.

Hayter sets off. He should be the last man wཧho could beat Bettiol's time today.

At the checkpoint, Hayter puts in a tꩲime o🍰f only 4:52. 13 seconds down...

It's Bettiol's to lose now.

Shane Archbold, Corbin Str🎉ong, and Chris Harper still out on course too.

Tim van Dijke (Jumbo-Visma) crashes on that 🧸infamous late corn𒆙er.

Some more spots of rain on the camera lens now. The rain maybe🔜 picking back up late on.

Bettio🦋l still sat in that uncomfortable looking chair which he's occupied for two hours now. He's all set for the first ochre jersey of the race!

14th place for Strong and 22nd for Harper.

Alberto Bettiol has won the stage!

Here's what Bettiol had to say after his win.

"I'm really happy and I feel really lucky at the same time. I knew I could do well but n♚ot to win. The weather of Australia helped me. I really appreciate the help of all my team today. I just had to pedal full gas for six-and-a-half minutes.

"The strategy was a bit different. I asked the sporting director to start first because I think I had enough experience. In the end I won. It's a surprise and I'm really happy. There's not a lot of s🃏trategy. You have to learn the corners but sometimes you have to be lucky.

"I like this race and I'll be really proud to wear the jersey of the Tour Down Under tomorrow morning. I🅠t's a prologue and the ♓real race starts tomorrow."

Alberto Bettiol wins a wet prologue at the Tour Down Under

Itꦬalian takes advantage of early dry roads to set an unbeatable time in Adelaide

Bettiol takes the🌺 plaudits on the podium as the first Tour Down Under stage winner in three years.

He's also in the🦄 ochre leader's jersey tonight with a nice gap to second pl✤ace.

Magnus Sheffield, meanwhile, is in the best young rider's jersey♛.

We'll have plenty of news and reaction coming from reporters Simone Giuliani𒐪 and Stephen Farrand in Australia as well a tech gallery coming up...

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Heavily modified road bikes take over Tour Down Under prologue

Ban on time trial bikes l🥀eads to heavily optimised road bikes for 5.5km stage

Michael Matthews 'unlucky' but on form during wet Tour Down Under opener

'If you w🐠a✤nt to try and take time out of the real climbers, this was the time to do it' Australian says after 10th place ride