Evans time trial "not bad, not great"

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."