Inside the Tour with John Wilcockson: Stage win boosts Evans’ chances at the Tour

Beating Contador and Gilbert at Mûr-de-Bretagne are major victories

It wasn’t just a routine stage win for Cadel Evans atop the infamous climb at Mûr-de-Bretagne on Tuesday, even though this was the first time in seven starts at the Tour de France that the 34-year-old Australian has taken a road stage. No, this was a confirmation that not only has he timed his season’s training perfectly to be ready for July’s multiple challenges, but also that his BMC Racing team, often criticized in the past for not being of sufficient quality for a leading contender, is just as ready as Evans.

When I interviewed him in Switzerland two months ago for the Official Tour Guide that VeloNews publishes every year, Evans was fully complimentary of the BMC squad he joined last year. He said that he felt completely at ease with the teammates and back-up crew that have enabled him to tackle this 98th Tour in the best shape possible, both physically and mentally.

“There are never unrealistic expectation in this team,” he told me. “The mentality from (owners) Jim (Ochowicz) and Andy (Rihs) really trickle down to the whole team, and everyone’s in this because they love it; it’s an ambiance and mentality I really like.”

He then added, “I’m not a rider that needs pressure to get results,” clearly referring to the pressure he got from his previous employer, the Belgian team Predictor-Lotto (now Omega Pharma-Lotto). No doubt, his being able to beat Omega-Lotto’s two leaders, Philippe Gilbert (fifth on Tuesday’s stage) and Jurgen Van den Broeck (ninth), was a huge satisfaction.

But, typically, when Evans spoke right after he beat defending champion Alberto Contador, who was looking for revenge after his losses on the first two days, the BMC leader first said, “Big surprise, big surprise. I still cannot quite believe it myself.”

Then he went on, “My hero today is Marcus Burghardt. Someone ran into my rear derailleur, and (after a bike change) Burghardt brought me all the way through the peloton right to the front. I didn’t even know if I would see the front again.”

FILED UNDER: News / Tour de France TAGS: Cadel Evans / Inside the Tour / stage4