Gaining time over many of his rivals today due to the massive crash which afflicted the peloton 24 kilometres from the finish, Cadel Evans’ chances of taking a second Tour win have improved. The Australian may have taken little pleasure in seeing his fellow riders on the deck, but the incident has nevertheless eliminated many rivals.
Frank Schleck (RadioShack Nissan), Michele Scarponi (Lampre – ISD), Janez Brajkovic (Astana), Pierre Rolland (Europcar) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) all lost two minutes nine seconds; Robert Gesink and his Rabobank team-mate Steven Kruijsijk conceded three minutes 31. Even worse off were Giro winner Ryder Hesjedal and Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp), who dropped 13 minutes 24 seconds, while last year’s top American rider Tom Danielson crashed for the second day this week and was forced to pull out of the race.
Evans sits 17 seconds off the race lead of Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack Nissan) heading into tomorrow’s first big mountain stage. He improves from seventh to sixth overall today, inching closer to yellow.
His main rival Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling) remains ten seconds ahead of him but Evans knows that a good ride tomorrow could see him still take yellow.
“We'd normally say the real test starts tomorrow, but maybe it started today," he said, then indicating that he is in good shape. "I'm feeling pretty fresh at this point. It hasn't been the hardest first week we've had, that's for sure. Not since the Tours I've ridden at least – eight of them now.”
He’ll get a better idea of his prospects of defending his Tour title tomorrow. Wiggins was strong in the Critérium du Dauphiné, but Evans structured his season about being ready for the Tour.
“Now the guys' legs are starting to get softened. Tomorrow will be the first real test of who has really come here for the overall contention,” he said.
The day will also be a test for his BMC Racing team-mate Tejay van Garderen, who is seven seconds ahead of him in the general classification. The American is fourth overall and continues to lead the best young rider standings.
He acknowledged that things worked out well today, in terms of positioning and, frankly, luck. "We heard there was a big split, but we didn't drive it at the front or anything," he explained. "We just tried to keep good position and stay safe. We're lucky to have such strong guys on the team.
“It's a shame and I hope everyone's OK, but crashes are part of the game. That's why we're expending so much energy to stay at the front and stay safe."
While his main focus is on helping Evans win a second Tour, he has also said that the white jersey might be a goal if he can chase that without it affecting his work for the Australian. Like Evans, he’ll have a far better understanding tomorrow of what form he is in. If he’s feeling good on the final climb of La Planche des Belles Filles, then that will be a very good indicator of how the next mountains will go.