Evans time trial "not bad, not great"
By Daniel Simms published
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."

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
after your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to Cyclingnews. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.