Noirmoutier-en-lIle, France ? No easing up for Lance Armstrong in his last Tour de France.

Armstrong took a huge step toward winning his seventh consecutive Tour on the first day of the three-week race. He crushed his main rivals in an opening time trial Saturday, opening up early time gaps that might be big enough to carry him through to victory at the finish in Paris on July 24.

“I was hungry today,” said Armstrong, who is 33 and has said he will retire after this year’s Tour. “I didn’t come to ride a retirement race. I came to win.”

Six-time tour de france winner Lance Armstrong of the Discovery Channel cycling team pedals during the first stage of the Tour de France. David Zabriskie of the U.S. won the stage in 20 minutes and 51 seconds, while Armstrong finished second in the individual time trial Saturday in western France.

A bad crash, an uncharacteristic drop in his devastating form and the sheer unpredictability of a race that covers 2,242 miles, the Alps and the Pyrenees still could conspire against Armstrong, whose six titles already are the Tour record.

But this much is clear: Armstrong’s challengers will need the race of their lives to catch him, and – if previous years are any guide – that still may not be enough.

The only blot on an otherwise perfect Saturday for Armstrong? He was beaten by a fellow American and former teammate, David Zabriskie, by two seconds on the 11.8-mile course past oyster vendors and marshes on western France’s Atlantic coast.

Armstrong, racing a special aerodynamic bike, helmet and suit, set out last of the 189 riders and had a minor mishap at the outset when one of his feet popped out of a pedal. But he quickly recovered and pedaled relentlessly.

He dealt a severe psychological and racing blow to his main rival, Jan Ullrich, by overtaking him along the way – even though the German had set out one minute earlier.