By Brendan Gallagher in Monaco Published: 9:35PM BST 04 Jul 2009  The powerful Swiss rider, the Olympic time-trial champion, risked everything on a thrilling final descent as he swooped down into the spectacular finish in Quai Albert to defeat Tour favourite Alberto Contador by 18 seconds with Britain’s Bradley Wiggins claiming a superb third place a further second behind.  After a slow start to the season due to fatigue and illness, Cancellara, 28, signalled his return last month when he won the mountainous Tour of Switzerland and will have licked his lips with relish when he saw the testing Monaco course. Contador likewise.  Wiggins, having shed nearly a stone during the winter and worked hard on his climbing, had been cautiously optimistic of a decent finish though the vicious start – nearly 7km of steady incline – was not his idea of fun. In this city state, however, you have to play the hand you are dealt.  Wiggins went about his task fearlessly and his reward could come later in the week. With Sunday’s and Monday’s stages likely to end in bunch finishes, he could find himself challenging for the yellow jersey itself in Montpellier on Tuesday when his powerful Garmin team are among the favourites to win the 39km team time-trial.  Lance Armstrong, on his return to the Tour, finished a creditable 10th after taking a minor punt and opting for one of Astana’s earlier start slots in the hope that the rain showers forecast might hamper the later starters. The rain failed to materialise but Armstrong produced a strong ride.  In many ways nothing much had changed since he last rode the Tour in 2005. The seven-time winner was perpetual motion as he adopted his trademark aggressive low-gear, high- cadence style on the testing Beausoleil climb, which tops out at 630 feet and offers a superb view of the second smallest nation on earth.  The descent to the finish was quick and technical but Armstrong maintained form in a ride which was lapped up by the Monegasque public and the 150,000 cycling fans here for the day. A degree of perspective was provided when first Tony Martin, the powerful young German who does such a great job leading out Mark Cavendish in the sprints, bettered Armstrong’s time and then Astana colleague Levi Leipheimer went nine seconds quicker to take the early lead.  “It was difficult for everybody, very technical and hard to find a rhythm, but that’s logical after years away,” Armstrong said. “I didn’t have any illusions about winning but what a beautiful race. It was fun. I felt pretty good, overall. I’m happy to be here, there are lots of other things I could be doing right now.”  As an examination of fitness and form such a demanding individual race is a pretty accurate Litmus test – between 1999 and 2005 Armstrong has only once finished out of the top three in 19 individual time-trials on the Tour. This told us that he is a phenomenally fit rider for 37 but perhaps just short of the peak of condition required to win.  Armstrong will continue to improve though after a less than smooth preparation which has included breaking a collarbone in March and becoming a father for the fourth time last month. He now has a full week to sit in the peloton and hone his conditioning at race pace on the flat – interrupted by a full-speed workout in the team time-trial – before his Tour starts in earnest in the Pyrénées on Saturday.  Of the other Britons, David Millar was his usual elegant self in finishing 14th but was denied the chance of a higher finish when his back wheel locked out twice approaching a sharp right-hander in the final stages, a mistake which cost him as he struggled to pick up the momentum.
Fabien Cancellara might not have broken the bank at Monte Carlo but he will    leave Monaco the happiest of men on Sunday morning after going for broke and    destroying the field on the opening stage of the Tour de France.