Tour de France - Evans desperate for Tour glory

Eurosport - Wed, 01 Jul 08:57:00 2009

Tired of finishing runner-up in cycling's greatest race, Cadel Evans is determined to seize his chance to become the first Australian to win the Tour de France.

CYCLING Cadel Evans - 0

The 32-year-old, second on the Tour the last two years, knows time is running out but by finishing runner-up in the Dauphine Libere in June showed he still had what it takes to win a major stage race.

"I was able to work the way I wanted and I'm better prepared for the Tour than I was last year," said Evans, who was beaten by Spaniards Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre on the 2007 and 2008 Tours respectively.

Evans was beaten in the Dauphine by Spain's Alejandro Valverde, who will miss the Tour as a result of a two-year suspension imposed on him in Italy which the race passes through, but finished ahead of third-placed Contador.

Tour favourite Contador could be beaten in the July 4-26 event, according to the Aussie.

"I expected more from Contador in the Dauphine," he said.

"When I had the (race leader's) yellow jersey on, he just stayed behind me.

"I hear that Contador will win (the Tour's opening time trial) in Monaco, that his Astana team will be unbeatable in the team time trial, that Contador will be stirred up in the stages in Spain and that we have no chance. If I listen to that, there's no use starting the race."

A gifted all-rounder, Evans has often been criticised for his strategic approach to racing and lack of panache. He has, however, no intention of changing his style.

"I'm not entering the Tour to attack to please the crowds but to win it," he said. "I hear that Astana will keep a close eye on me and I'll take that as a compliment. It makes me think that Contador can be beaten."

Evans can rely on a balanced outfit but will miss a strong climber to help him in the mountain stages.

The Australian thought he would have that when his Silence-Lotto team considered hiring Bernhard Kohl, who finished best climber and third overall on the 2008 Tour, but the Austrian has since quit cycling after testing positive for a banned drug.

"I thought the man who placed third on the Tour coming to help me was too good to be true and indeed it was," Evans said.

Evans, who started last year's race as the favourite, knows he will have less pressure this time and likes it that way.

"I could not quite live up to what being a favourite means," he said. "I'll be more careful this time. The Tour is my priority because it's the only race people remember."

Evans will have to deal not only with Contador but also with seven-times Tour winner Lance Armstrong, whose comeback will spice up this year's race.

"It will be interesting to see what he can do on the Tour," Evans said.

"Anyway, you will never hear me say that Armstrong can't win a race."

Reuters

Comment 1 - 6 of 6

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  1. This year's course seems to suit Cadel. ­ There's a fair bit of TT and fewer summit finishes­ then in previous years. Problem is, Contador is now a­ very good TT rider, as well as being the best climber­ in the race..........and having the strongest team.

    From pedro118118, on Thu 2 Jul 9:42AM

  2. i agree, Lance was the greatest tour rider ever, but­ coming back out of retirement is a big ask. if Cadel­ improves on last years performance in the early stages,­ he will have a great chance of lifting the­ title

    stinkyb

    From johnvaranakis, on Wed 1 Jul 4:15PM

  3. Agreed - he is very entertaining when he goes mental. ­ Sadly, unless you're a bike racing fan, you­ probably don't know any other cyclists apart from­ Chris Hoy and Lance Armstrong. Frankly, if Cadel won­ the TdF, only bike fans would notice or care........and­ most wouldn't care.

    From pedro118118, on Wed 1 Jul 2:04PM

  4. If Cadel says thats all that people remember, it doesnt­ necessarily mean he shares that sentiment does it?­ Apart from us obsessed forum posters, who could, for­ example, say who won the Cycle Cross Worlds this year,­ or Het Volk etc?Just check out the coverage of any race­ but the Tour, the real disrespect lies with the­ disproportionate media coverage. The level of the Tour­ is so high now that if you want to win it you pretty­ much have to focus on it. We can all thank Lemond for­ such a situation. Nutter? his 'outbursts' were­ some of the most entertaining moments of the 08 tour­ (my personal favourite is when he tells a certain­ sports presentor we have to suffer here in Australia to­ f**k off after he pats him on the back at Hautacam),­ check him out on youtube and have a nice laugh.

    From demi162, on Wed 1 Jul 11:50AM

  5. I do feel for Cadel. He is a good all-rounder, but­ that only gets you so far, and I just think that last­ extra bit of class is missing - hence he's a rider,­ whose palmares is full of placings, but very few major­ wins. Plus, under pressure, he turns into a nutter and­ there is no greater pressure in cycling than the TdF. ­ Finally, I found his comment about the Tour being­ "the only race people remember" completely­ disrespectful to the other Grand Tours and the one-day­ Monuments - this modern-day obsesssion with the Tour is­ unhealthy.

    From pedro118118, on Wed 1 Jul 11:15AM

  6. "by finishing runner-up in the Dauphine Libere in­ June showed he still had what it takes to win a major­ stage race."

    Wrong. By Finishing 2 in DL he­ showed he still had what it takes to be second :)

    From liophy, on Wed 1 Jul 9:18AM
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