The Frenchman reigned supreme on the 3100-metre track, narrowly taking the leader‘s yellow jersey of the prestigious race, averaging a speed of 50.96 km/h. 

"It was a very good effort, pretty hard. But I like this little prologue, a good prologue," Gautherat said.

"My goal is to win one stage... and just to do a very good campaign with the French.

"I think it's been a good start for my first year on the World Tour. I am pretty happy with my start on the World Tour."

When quizzed on what his biggest dream is, he didn't hesitate to say success at the Paris-Roubaix.

The late afternoon start of this opening time trial on the Jeseník square took place in a good atmosphere, as people lined the barriers and encouraged the riders, who battled the circuit with a 22-metre elevation gain.

For a long time, Mathieu Kockelmann of Luxembourg held the lead, with a time of 3:46 minutes. The rules stated that competitors were not permitted to use a special time trial bike or helmet on this stage.

Spectators watched the talented cyclists race the clock. Jack Rootkin Gray of Great Britain covered the route at an average of 49.82 km/hour and took the lead.

Subsequently, the talented young German riders demonstrated their strength. Moritz Kretschy of Germany completed the circuit in 3:42 minutes, he was soon overtaken by Tobias Buck-Gramcko, who was less than a second faster.

For a brief moment, Dane Carl Frederik Bevort took first place with a time of 3:39.32 minutes. But before he could enjoy the feeling of being the leader, the leading man was again a German: Henri Uhlig.

However, Gautherat, who rides for World Tour team AG2R Citroën, clocked in with a great time. He crossed the magic 50-kilometre mark, flying around at 50.96 km/hour. After completing the Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders Monuments this year, he was the hot favourite for the overall race and took the yellow jersey with a superb performance.