Rohan Dennis wins 1st stage of Tour de France with record-breaking time trial

Rohan Dennis emerged victorious in the first stage of the 2015 Tour de France on Sunday in Utrecht, Netherlands, finishing the opening time trial in 14 minutes, 56 seconds.

The impressive time saw Dennis finish the 14-kilometer circuit with an average speed of 55.446 kph (34.4 mph), topping the 1994 average-speed record mark of Chris Boardman.

"I didn't expect to go that fast," the Austrailian said after the race, according to Jerome Pugmire of The Associated Press. "It was very long on the way home, and I was just thinking '16 minutes, 16 minutes' from what I did in training, and in the end I got a bonus."

Tony Martin finished the opening stage in second place, five seconds behind Dennis, while Fabian Cancellara placed third.

Dennis's first-place finish in Saturday's action will see him don the yellow jersey when the second stage gets underway Sunday, as competitors will remain in the Netherlands to race 166 kilometers (103 miles) from Utrecht into Zeeland.