Wiggins managed fourth, an impressive performance and his best so far in a Tour prologue, but it was overshadowed by a phenomenal ride by Fabian Cancellara, the Swiss world time trial champion and the only rider here to break nine minutes, averaging 53.7kph and putting a scarcely credible thirteen seconds into the second-placed Andreas Kloden. There was disappointment, too, for Scotland's David Millar, another of the pre-race favourites, who finished thirteenth, 33 seconds back.

But the day belonged to Cancellara and also to the crowds, which spilled over the barriers the entire length of the course, and spread across Hyde Park, where a People's Village was set up to cater for the masses. The aerial shots of the centre of the capital, with landmarks such as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace bathed in warm sunshine, even left the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, wondering whether Transport for London's estimate of one million spectators might err on the modest side.

Cancellara had been nominated as the red hot favourite by both Wiggins and Millar. "Even on the best day of my career I wouldn't have stood a chance, because Cancellara was exceptional," admitted Millar. "I wasn't on my best day, far from it, but I'm actually happy. I'm not disappointed. I felt better than I've felt for a while; there was an improvement there.

"It was wonderful," added Millar, who, like Wiggins, received enormous support from the crowds. "It felt like being carried along on a wave of noise."

Millar's expectations had been low going into yesterday's prologue, having struggled with crash- induced injuries this season, and Wiggins was the more disappointed of the two top Brits, having started yesterday with genuine hopes of winning and wearing the first yellow jersey of the 2007 race on today's first road stage, from the centre of London to Canterbury.

"I'm happy to be up there with guys like [George] Hincapie," said Wiggins, the Olympic champion on the track, who has successfully transferred his talent to the road this season. "But Cancellara was on another level. I'm proud to be part of an occasion like this, it's not like last year with all the [doping scandals before the start]. I'm happy really. If someone said at the start of the year that I'd win the Dauphine [Libere] prologue and finish fourth in the Tour then I'd have taken that."

Former prologue winner Chris Boardman remarked afterwards that Wiggins and Cancellara had been "in different races." Between this pair, meanwhile, were overall contenders Kloden, the German who finished second in 2004 and third last year, and the American Hincapie. Most of the overall contenders, such as Alejandro Valverde and Levi Leipheimer, were much further back, already conceding significant chunks of time.

But Kloden's Astana teammate Alexandre Vinokourov could be happy with his time, which was thirty seconds slower than Cancellara. He and Kloden appear to be in a perfect position to take charge when the race hits the Alps on Saturday. But with such a cushion, there is every chance that Cancellara will enjoy an extended stay in the yellow jersey - possibly even until that Alpine rendezvous.

Last night, though, the talk was not of the big showdowns in the Alps or Pyrenees, but of the show put on yesterday. To adopt the parlance of another sport, the real winner, at the end of the day, was London. And cycling. Livingstone, the city's mayor and the man who was instrumental in bringing the Tour to London, declared the experiment a resounding success.

"It was everything we could have asked for," said an ebullient Livingstone. "It's one of only two things I've ever done that have turned out better than I expected. The other one is the congestion charge." Livingstone added that plans to bring the Tour back to London would begin "immediately."

He could be encouraged to do so by the Tour director, Christian Prudhomme, who appeared even more ebullient. "A great, great day for London and for the Tour de France," he enthused. "I knew it would be magnificent but it was really amazing. It was so wonderful."

There is a subtle difference to the Tour when it leaves French roads - as it will do again on Monday, when stage two takes the riders from Dunkirk to the Belgian city of Gent - but the similarities are more striking. The publicity caravan, which precedes the peloton - or the first rider in yesterday's prologue - is identical to that which travels an hour ahead of the race throughout the three weeks, comprising garishly decorated cars and other vehicles advertising ostensibly continental products - baguettes, bottles of wine, fromage, supermarches, and, er, giant kangaroos.

Yes, as with the race itself, the publicity caravan has in recent years been infiltrated by Australians, though the majority are still 'manned' by very chic, and unmistakably French, girls whose job is to smile for three weeks and distribute tat to the roadside audience.

Another constant is the Garde Republicaine, France's elite police force. Whichever country the Tour visits, the motorbike-mounted Garde Republicaine is there to escort the race - there are 45 officers in England - though it is today when their skills and experience will be crucial, as the peloton rolls out of London for the 120-mile first road stage to Canterbury.

Today's stage could yet provide the fairytale story of the Tour's two-day visit to Britain, with Mark Cavendish a serious contender if the stage comes down to a sprint finish. The 22-year old from the Isle of Man has won six races in his first professional season, earning a surprise call-up to the T-Mobile team for the Tour. But now he's here he is being talked about as someone who can take on the likes of Robbie McEwen, Tom Boonen and Erik Zabel in the dangerous bunch finishes.

"Cav has a realistic chance," remarked Millar last night. "We don't want to put pressure on him, but he could win it - he's such a talented little guy."

As for his own prospects, Millar's confidence is returning at the same rate as Cancellara's lightning dash through London. "I'm going to win a stage," said Millar, "I know I'm going to win a stage. As the French say, I'm now in an ascending spiral of form."

JERSEYS FOR TROPHIES

YELLOW JERSEY CONTENDERS

ANDREAS KLODEN: The German has finished second and third overall, though he will ride in support of his Astana team leader Alexandre Vinokourov. If Vino slips up, Kloden could be the man.

ALEJANDRO VALVERDE: The youngest of the main contenders, the 27-year-old Spaniard has promised much for long, and will have to deliver. A great all-rounder and an exciting talent, he beat Lance Armstrong to Courchavel in 2005, then had to retire with a knee injury. Last year he crashed out, breaking his collar bone in the first week.

CADEL EVANS: The injury-prone 30-year-old (he broke his collarbone three times one season) is the best bet for a first Aussie winner. Fifth last year, equalling Phil Anderson as best Aussie, he will be promoted if Floyd Landis is stripped of his win. A good climber and solid time trialist, Evans is a contender - but he'll have to ride more aggressively than he has in the past.

FRANK SCHLECK: The Luxembourgian is the rank outsider. Another relative youngster (the stats say that the best age to win the Tour is 29), the 27-year old won at Alpe d'Huez last year and could progress to the podium this year. Scarily, his younger brother, Andy, is an even more exciting prospect - but after finishing second at this year's Giro, Andy is missing the Tour.

GREEN (SPRINT) JERSEY CONTENDERS

ROBBIE McEWEN: Another Aussie, 35-year-old McEwen has won the green points jersey three times. Age isn't slowing him, and he's hard as nails - he is best known for head-butting countryman Stuart O'Grady as they sprinted for the line in 2005.

TOM BOONEN: The big Belgian is the latest to be tipped as "the next Eddy Merckx". He isn't Merckx, but he is good looking, talented, charismatic and (so far) untainted by doping allegations - just what cycling needs.

MARK CAVENDISH: The 22-year-old British sprinter has won six races in his first year as a pro. "Cav" is very unlikely to finish the Tour - but a stint in the green jersey is a possibility, as is a stage win in the first week. Just over a year ago he was winning gold for the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, just beating Scotland's James McCallum, who won bronze - his progress since then has been sensational.

POLKA-DOT (MOUNTAINS) CONTENDERS

MICHAEL RASMUSSEN: A stick-thin rider in the classic climber's mould, Rasmussen has won the King of the Mountains competition in the last two Tours. Weighing in at just 59kg, the Dane is obsessed by weight, peeling the stickers from his bike to save micro-milligrams.

IBAN MAYO: Another typical specialist climber in that he is notoriously erratic. The Basque can be brilliant or terrible - there is no in-between. Like most climbers, Mayo is slightly built, very shy and slightly eccentric - "a right little fruitloop," according to his Saunier Duval team-mate, David Millar.

CHARLY WEGELIUS: The forgotten man of British cycling gets his first crack at the Tour, though he has ridden nine major tours, in Spain and Italy. The 29-year-old could have a free hand in the mountains, since his Italian Liquigas team has no serious overall contenders. Wegelius is a talented climber but may be a little too sane to cut it with the likes of Rasmussen and Mayo.