The Herald Sun Tour got underway today with a quick 2.1km prologue. The short technical course around Melbourne was quite a spectacle with William Clarke (Drapac) clocking the fastest time to take the victory. Caleb Ewan (Orica-Greenedge) and Brenton Jones (Drapac) rounded out the podium.

Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung had Tyler Farrar stop the clock in the shortest amount of time for the African team, just 5 seconds behind Clarke and in 15th position. The short distance meant the time gaps from first to last place are rather insignificant yet the race is now well poised heading into tomorrow's first 157km road stage.

The other MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung riders at the Sun Tour had no problems around the Melbourne course. Matt Goss, Nic Dougall and Matt Brammeier finished the prologue less than 10 seconds down on the winner. With Serge Pauwels and Songezo Jim both in solid positions too, the team is now ready for the upcoming week's racing.

"The Melbourne prologue was quite technical with a few tight corners," sports director Michel Cornelisse said. "Our riders managed to do well and finished just a few seconds short of the race winner. We now look forward to the coming stages that should suit our strengths."