Evans time trial "not bad, not great"
Australian satisfied with gap to rivals
Cadel Evans found his time trial result in the Tour de France's opening stage "not bad, but it's not great either." The Silence-Lotto rider noted to Cyclingnews, however, that "there are quite a few time gaps already between a lot of the other overall favourites, so in that regard, it's a good start."
Australia's Evans finished fifth, 23 seconds behind winner Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) and five seconds behind his rival for the overall title, second-placed Alberto Contador. A fifth place finish is not bad, but he had hoped for more, saying, "I was probably a little bit more optimistic, actually."
"I'd rather have had a few seconds advantage on Contador - it's always better to have an advantage on someone like Contador at the Tour, but... you know, it's not bad," he said.
"It's not the ultimate start, but it's a good start. It's only 15 kilometres, and a much longer way to Paris... It's a pretty good start. I felt okay on the course, nothing special with regard to performance."

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