St. Paul, MN - To the surprise of almost no one, Nathan O'Neill of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis won the opening prologue of the Nature Valley Grand Prix Wednesday.

O'Neill was one of four Health Net Presented by Maxxis riders occupying the top five after the 4.5-mile individual time trial. Greg Henderson, fresh off winning the Reading Classic and Philadelphia International Championship, finished third at 0:16 back. The perpetually strong Karl Menzies finished fourth another second back, while Canadian sprint ace Gord Fraser finished fifth, yet another second behind.

Bernard Van Ulden (Navigators) was the only non-Health Net Presented by Maxxis rider to crack the top five. He finished second, 0:12 in arrears of O'Neill, the Australian and Commonwealth Games time trial champion.

"The plan will be to defend Nathan's lead until the end," said Jeff Corbett, team directeur sportif. "However, with three more guys in the top five, we have plenty of options."

The race continues Thursday with a 58.8-mile road race.

Official Results