Sprint ace Davis Phinney of Boulder, Colo.,...

Sprint ace Davis Phinney of Boulder, Colo., was the fastest qualifier in a field of 66 riders in the opening time trials of the 14th Coors International bicycle race at San Francisco.

Racing the clock, Phinney, 29, posted an unofficial time of 2 minutes 35.42 seconds for the grueling .8-mile race up a 22% grade on Telegraph Hill. Phinney was second in sprint points in this year’s Tour de France.

The prologue time trial was not one of the actual 14 stages in the San Francisco-to-Colorado series of races, but the times count in the overall classification.