Frison sets out his stall

Davitamon Lotto directeur sportif Herman Frison is aiming high as the Tour heads towards its conclusion. Another stage victory, the green points jersey and a good top ten placing overall are all on his wish-list. Following a less-than-relaxing rest day, some R & R is also needed, although that will have to wait until next week.

"I slept in a bit but then I had to get back to work at 9am, which is late during the Tour," he said. "Normally I have breakfast at 7.15-7.30 every morning. We also had blood tests, so that meant that the riders had to get up early anyway. Training was an individual thing. Some of the guys trained a couple of hours; some didn't. Cadel even went for a spin behind the car. Everyone has to listen to his own body."

"I think we've definitely reached our goal concerning the number of wins," he continued. "Actually, we've got one more than was our goal. We still want the green jersey, for sure, but the truth is we already have Sunday on our mind. We can take a fourth victory there."

Tom Boonen's withdrawal from the race changed things for the team. "When Tom stopped we sort of thought it would be possible to go for the green, and we really studied that option. We'd have to aim for the intermediate sprints but it's going to be very hard. It didn't work in the last stages. I'm a bit afraid for Wednesday; that third category col at the end is hard. We have to make sure we lose O'Grady there, before the finish, in order to take more points."

Frison also said that getting Cadel Evans into the top ten was a priority, and 24 hours later that goal has been achieved. Now the focus is on keeping the rider up there all the way to Paris.