At his first Tour de France presentation as defending champion, Cadel Evans (BMC) was a man in demand as the media formed a scrum around the Australian once the route had been presented.
Evans won the 2011 race through a mixture of strong team support, smart tactics and unmatchable form. The 2012 course appears ideal for him with almost 100 kilometers of time trialing and an absence of collective summit finishes – although he has proved more than capable when the terrain points the sky.
Next year he will be joined by Philippe Gilbert and Thor Hushovd at BMC and while speculation within the media surrounds how the three leaders will split Tour objectives between them Evans is confident that they can work together.
Yet yellow at the Tour will remain the team’s primary objective for this season and in this video Evans talks about return to France to defend his crown and the strength in depth that his team now posses.