Pero Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) remained a contender for the overall win at the Tour Down Under, pushing the limits of the UCI rules on aero-tack and bike technology, despite a downpour in the opening prologue.

The 5.5km prologue in Adelaide was raced on road bikes for logistical reasons, but disc wheels and time trial helmets were allowed. Aero bars were not allowed, forcing teams to create aerodynamic positions while respecting UCI regulations.

Bilbao's position was also innovative and surprising, but legal, as teammate Matej Mohoric used a dropper seat post for the 2022 Milan-San Remo.

Bilbao and Bahrain Victorious' mechanics turned the brake levers far inward and rotated the handlebars upward.

The "puppy paws" position was reminiscent of the spinatch bars that were common in the 90s and riders placing their forearms over the bars before the UCI banned this position in 2021. Other riders also turned the brake lever, but Bilbao's position seemed more studied and more efficient.

Unfortunately for Bilbao, he raced in pouring rain. Meanwhile, stage winner Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-Easy Post), who opted to end the race early, raced well in dry conditions and had a marginal gain of his own. Others raced as conditions improved, but none came close to the Italian, who became the first race leader in the 2023 Tour Down Under.

"I like racing in the rain, but it would have been better if everyone raced in the same conditions," Bilbao lamented to Cycling News after the ride.

"I worked pretty hard to do my best; I've been thinking about this race for four or five months. I got a special bike, positioned myself as aero as possible, followed the UCI rules, put my wrists on the bars and held the levers with both hands. It seemed to work."

The Basque rider admitted to Cycling News that he and the Bahrain Victorias team had been thinking about the Tour Down Under and the important opening round time trial for months. Bilbao's form peaked early in winter training, and the team's performance staff and mechanics had the best set-up for the 5.5km time trial, which will be contested on road bikes.

Bilbao's extreme bike setup helped him in the time trial, but his losses were limited against Bettiol and overall rivals who raced in the rain, such as Michael Matthews (Jayco Alura) and Rohan Dennis (Jumbo Visma).

Bilbao finished 25th, 20 seconds behind Bettiol, but lost only 6 seconds to Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) and Matthews, 3 seconds to Dennis, and 1 second to Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers). He lost six seconds to Simon Yates (Jayco Alura) and Ben O'Connor (AG2R-Citroen).

"I had a special bike, but in the end I couldn't take all the risks I wanted. I had to race without thinking too much about the stage and calmly think about the overall fight," Bilbao admitted.

Bettiol quickly dismissed the possibility of an overall, but Bilbao was cautious about abandoning the Italian.

"You never know what can happen. Bettiol won the race, earned his time, and is fresh and strong. He is a specialist in these efforts and we can only hope that he suffers on the climbs when we do a different kind of effort," Bilbao said.

"The Tour Down Under course is unique. Some stages have a climb in the second half and a descent to the finish. We want to make a difference there and on the final stage to Mount Lofty."

"I think Michael Matthews is the favorite to win the overall. He is strong on the climbs and fast in the sprints with time bonuses. Let's see how he does and how everyone else does on the climb."