Doing the bulk of the work at the head of the peloton on Saturday’s stage eight of the Tour de France, the BMC Racing Team of Cadel Evans showed that it is prepared to take control of the peloton in order to further his chances of winning the race. The Australian rider started the day just one second behind the race leader Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo), and with the world champion being expected to lose the jersey, Evans’ team rode as if it already had the Maillot Jaune.
In the end, though, Hushovd put in a massive effort inside the final kilometre of the climb to Super Besse and remained in contact with the GC riders, thus preserving his race lead.
Speaking afterwards, Evans said that he was fine about how things turned out. If he was disappointed not to get yellow, he didn’t show it; the feeling remains that his attack near the finish was more to gain time over the other GC contenders rather than to snag yellow.
“We didn’t lose any time on the main contenders. That is what is important at this point. We got through today without any problems…so far the guys are great,” he said in a TV interview conducted just after the finish. “The main thing today was to get through without problems. If I just go day by day like this, the classification will normally look after itself.”
The 34 year old was pleased with how the team rode, and said that it held back a little due to the dangerous conditions. “We were with five in front, which was really good numbers. There was still a couple of climbs to go, with wind and downhills. When there’s rain coming down, the risk are amplified, so the plan was to be a little bit conservative.”
Evans has already taken a stage win, sprinting to victory atop stage four’s leg to the Mûr-de-Bretagne. He held off Alberto Contador there, hitting the line just ahead of the defending Tour de France champion. He looked even stronger on Saturday, kicking hard near the end and the Spaniard struggling to get back on terms.
Saturday’s stage showed that Contador isn’t in the same shape as he was in the Giro d’Italia, which he dominated; he might come around yet, but Evans’ status as a potential race winner is on the rise. His Tours in the past two years were hampered by fatigue and injuries. Thus far, though, everything is looking very good for the double runner-up, who would be one of the oldest winners ever if he triumphs in Paris in two weeks’ time.