Stage 20 News
Barwon Heads locals celebrate Cadel Evans and his Tour de France win The sleepy ocean-side town is basking in the glory of Cadell Evan's Tour de France victory, claiming the Aussie as their own after he bought a summer house there six years ago. Local bike rider Bob Jordan said Evans' took to the streets for training when he was in town and always made time to have a chat along the way. "It's just such a buzz, it's just a strange feeling, you're just a local cyclist and you've got a world champion riding alongside you," Mr Jordan said. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tour-de-france/barwon-heads-locals-celebrate-cadel-evans-and-his-tour-de-france-win/story-fn8s9i81-1226100807503 Cadel Evans to be Australia's first Tour de France winner CADEL Evans has produced the ride of his life to become the winner-elect of The Tour de France. Evans grew wings as he ripped his way through the streets of Grenoble to rip the yellow jersey off the back of Andy Schleck to ride his way into the history books as the first Australian to win the Tour. In an individual test of man and machine, Evans not only ground out a fabulous win, as he not only ate into the 57 seconds Andy Schleck enjoyed at the start of the day, he absolutely slaughtered the opposition for overall champion to record a time of 55min 40sec. In a superb ride against the clock, the 34-year-old BMC rider destroyed Andy Schleck, who finished just three seconds ahead of older brother Frank, in a time of 58mins 11sec. Evans will lead the survivors onto the Champs Elysees today by a whopping 1min 34 sec ahead of the field. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/cadel-evans-to-be-australias-first-tour-de-france-winner/story-fn8sc2wz-1226100566465 Cadel Evans to become first Australian to win the Tour de France Only a serious crash could now rob Evans of becoming Australia's first Tour de France winner in Paris tonight. Tour tradition and a pancake flat stage mean the field will not attack and the general classification places remain unchanged on the final stage from Creteil to Champs-Elysees. As Aussies and the cycling greats toast what shapes to be one of our nation's best ever sporting achievements, Cadel's mother Helen Cocks admitted to having just a handful of hours of sleep in the past week and Victorian authorities planned a parade and consider a statue in honour of the Barwon Heads boy. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tour-de-france/champagne-and-95km-ride-left-for-cadel/story-fn8s9i81-1226062095558 Tony Martin wins stage-20 ITT as Cadel Evans takes lead in 2011 Tour de France Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) finally donned that long-awaited yellow jersey on Saturday going into Sunday’s parade to Paris as Tony Martin (HTC-Highroad) won stage 20 of the 2011 Tour de France. Evans began the day 57 seconds down on race leader Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek), but it proved a very small bar to hop during the 42.5km individual time trial in Grenoble. At the first time check the yellow jersey had already conceded 36 seconds of that advantage to the Australian, and at the finish he had surrendered even more — Martin took the stage in 55:34, but Evans took second, just seven seconds slower, and the yellow jersey along with it. http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/news/tony-martin-wins-stage-20-itt-as-cadel-evans-takes-lead-in-2011-tour-de-france_185838 Julia Gillard praises Cadel Evan's 'stunning effort' “I believe I disturbed him when he was trying to get a nice hot bath, you can understand wanting a nice hot bath at the end of all of that and I think I disturbed him when he was trying to do it,†the PM said. Ms Gillard said she was not able to announce a public holiday to celebrate the victory but during her phone call with Evans they joked he was hurting the economy because everyone was distracted by his race. “We did share a joke about his impact on the economy of our nation. I suggested that he wasn’t doing much good for national productivity, because everybody was coming to work bleary eyed. "He suggested that it would all be alright in the end, because people would feel so full of morale with this shot in the arm, that they be cantering into work and working harder. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tour-de-france/julia-gillard-praises-cadel-evans-stunning-effort/story-fn8s9i81-1226100851536 Victoria poised to celebrate for Cadel Victorians have been urged to wear yellow to work in support of hometown hero Cadel Evans as the state government plans a big celebration of his historic Tour de France win. Premier Ted Baillieu today said all Victorians would want to mark Evans's win and the government was in discussions with the cyclist's family and management about how best to do that. "We want to do exactly what Cadel wants to do," Mr Baillieu said. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victoria-poised-to-celebrate-for-cadel-20110724-1hv21.html Cadel Evans and BMC silence critics by being tougher than a very tough 2011 Tour de France In securing the first Tour de France title for Australia Saturday, Cadel Evans and his eight BMC Racing teammates silenced their critics after three weeks of seizing every opportunity they could find en route to the Champs-Élysées. The scrum around the black-and-red team bus and trailer was intense after the stage-20 individual time trial. Flag-waving Aussies shouldered up with journalists and cameramen. The crowd heaved under shouts of “Aussie!†A few feet away, team president Jim Ochowicz said that his squad came into the Tour with a plan to work early and work hard for Evans in a first week that tore the race apart and took many GC hopefuls out of the picture with injuries or lost time. http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/news/cadel-evans-and-bmc-silence-critics-by-being-tougher-than-a-very-tough-2011-tour-de-france_185972?utm_medium=whats-hot Evans seizes Tour control Cadel Evans seized the Tour de France yellow jersey in the next-to-last stage yesterday, all but giving Australia its first victory in cycling’s showpiece event and capping one of the more dramatic races in years. The two-time runner-up took the overall lead by overcoming a 57-second deficit to Andy Schleck of Luxembourg in the time trial. A red-eyed Evans choked up on the victory podium, holding back tears before hurling the winner’s bouquet into the crowd. http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/cycling/articles/2011/07/24/cadel_evans_closes_in_on_historic_tour_de_france_win/ Voeckler best Frenchman since 2000 Despite a string of ten days in the maillot jaune, Voeckler's podium time at the Tour is likely now over. On the Champs-Elysées on Sunday, aside from the yet-to-be determined stage winner, Cadel Evans will don the final maillot jaune, Samuel Sanchez the polka dot jersey of best climber, Pierre Rolland the white jersey of best young rider and probably Mark Cavendish as points classification winner. Already voted most aggressive rider was Jérémy Roy and the winners of the team classification are Garmin-Cervélo. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/voeckler-best-frenchman-since-2000 Tour Down Under hopes Evans will return Tour Down Under officials are hoping Cadel Evans will remember a promise to return to Australia biggest cycling race if he won the Tour de France. Race director Mike Turtur plans to remind Evans of a comment he made when he last competed in the Tour Down Under in South Australia last year. Evans missed the January race this year as he planned his schedule to start later and peak for this month's Tour de France triumph. When he last rode the Tour Down Under in 2010 it was three months after he became the first Australian to win the world men's road race title. http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8276628 Evans rides to glory Cadel Evans will become the first Australian to win the Tour de France when the iconic cycling race rolls into Paris on Sunday. Evans, riding for BMC Racing, pulled off a blistering Stage 20 individual time trial on Saturday to overcome brothers Andy and Frank Schleck and take the yellow jersey. Leopard-Trek's Andy Schleck started the day in yellow, 57 seconds ahead of Evans, with his brother and teammate Frank just four seconds ahead of the Australian in the overall classification. http://www.sportal.com.au/tourdefrance-news-display/evans-rides-to-glory-131315 Tony Martin saves his Tour de France After losing out on his initial objective of contending for the general classification, Tony Martin made a spectacular come-back at the Tour de France on its penultimate stage in Grenoble. Winning the stage seven seconds ahead of overall winner Cadel Evans (BMC), the German repeated his feat of the Dauphiné time trial on the very same course, thereby netting the fifth stage win so far for his team and the very first for himself. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tony-martin-saves-his-tour-de-france Cadel Evans to be crowned Tour de France champ Cadel Evans stands on the brink of one of Australia's greatest sporting achievements after claiming the yellow jersey for the final stage of the Tour de France. Starting the day trailing Andy Schleck by 57 seconds, the Australian produced a masterful performance in Saturday night's (NZ time) 42.5km time trial in and around Grenoble to seize a one minute and 34 second advantage. Evans finished second in the time trial, just seven seconds behind Tony Martin. The last stage to Paris is traditionally a procession for riders in the overall classification with the main action coming from the sprinters on the Champs Elysees. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/5331880/Cadel-Evans-to-be-crowned-Tour-de-France-champ Sales of Cadel Evans' BMC colour kits are in top gear BIKE shops and cycling gear stores are riding high on the back of Cadel Evans becoming the first Australian to win the coveted Tour de France. Sales of road bikes doubled at Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Clifton Hill and consumers swamped the Australian Bicycle Clothing Outlets' Preston store for the champion's BMC color kits. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tour-de-france/sales-of-cadel-evans-bmc-colour-kits-are-in-top-gear/story-fn8s9i81-1226100802901 Cycling hails a 'clean' Tour Cycling officials are daring to speculate that this Tour de France marks a major turning point in the sport's battle against doping. Tour winner-in-waiting Cadel Evans has a strong reputation as a clean rider, plus there were encouraging signs that the competition this year was much more "real" than in the past. The top contenders all paid a fearful physical price for their exploits. Everyone looked vulnerable at times. Former cycling anti-doping boss Anne Gripper, Tour Down Under race director Mike Turtur and Cycling Australia chief executive Graham Fredericks were all encouraged by what they saw. http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8276627 Rolland takes white jersey to Paris Even though he finished only 21st, 2:50 down on stage winner Tony Martin (HTC-Highroad), Europcar's Pierre Rolland was amongst the winners of the Grenoble time trial on Saturday. The 24-year-old defended his white jersey of the best young rider against Rein Taaramae from Cofidis, who was placed 1:33 minutes down on him on general classification. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rolland-takes-white-jersey-to-paris Hincapie part of nine Tour de France victories BMC’s veteran George Hincapie said his teammate Cadel Evans’s Tour de France win today justified their decision to join the small, but ambitious team back in 2010. Hincapie, who has now taken part in a record-equalling 16 Tours – tied with Dutch legend Joop Zoetemelk – has been part of nine teams which have won the yellow jersey with three separate riders: Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador and now (if all goes smoothly on Sunday) Evans. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hincapie-part-of-nine-tour-de-france-victories Porte shows his strength on penultimate day Richie Porte (Saxo Bank-Sungard) put in another solid Grand Tour time trial on Saturday at the Tour de France. The Australian finished fifth, and adds that result to his fourth on the final day of the Giro d'Italia. Despite suffering from fatigue midway through the race, the former Maglia Bianca winner appears to have come out of the Tour with some impressive form. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/porte-shows-his-strength-on-penultimate-day
Pre Race News Epic Evans hauls himself back into Tour contention The plan for Cadel Evans in the Tour de France is now simple. When asked how he would approach Saturday's 42.5km stage 20 individual time trial the Australian replied, "Simply start as fast as possible, finish as fast as possible, hope it is fast enough." Evans (BMC), a dual Tour runner-up, will go into Saturday's 'race against the clock' in third place overall and at 57 seconds to Luxembourg's Andy Schleck (LeOpard) as a result of Friday's 109.5km 19th stage from Modane to l'Alpe d'Huez that was won by Frenchman Pierre Rolland (Europcar). In second position at 53 seconds is Schleck's elder brother Frank (LeOpard) who many thought was the dark horse to win this year. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/epic-evans-hauls-himself-back-into-tour-contention-20110723-1htqy.html After 19 Stages, Tour Comes Down to Dash in Individual Time Trial After 2,105 miles and nearly three weeks of racing, through three perilously steep climbs into the Alps, the Tour de France will be decided Saturday in a 26-mile sprint through Grenoble. This is like deciding a marathon with a 100-meter dash. The potentially dramatic situation emerged Friday when, in the final mountain stage of this year’s Tour, Andy Schleck of Luxembourg secured the overall leader’s yellow jersey, which has long eluded him this late into the competition. Unlike in the previous two Tours, he will not enter the penultimate and decisive stage behind Alberto Contador of Spain. But Cadel Evans of Australia lurks close behind, 57 seconds out, and he is considered a superior time trialist. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/sports/2011-tour-de-france-andy-schleck-grabs-overall-lead.html Cunego under no pressure ahead of Grenoble time trial Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) begins the Tour de France’s decisive time trial defending fifth place with just a 27-second buffer over Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard), but regardless of the outcome, the Italian insisted that he will be pleased with his race. “I knew I’d do a good Tour, but I would have settled beforehand to be in the top 10,†Cunego told Gazzetta dello Sport, after a strong showing on l’Alpe d’Huez saw him retain his position in general classification. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cunego-under-no-pressure-ahead-of-grenoble-time-trial Schleck brothers face down Australia’s Evans in Stage 20 time trial The first rider has taken to the road in the time trial that will decide a dramatically close Tour de France. Cadel Evans of Australia has to make up almost a minute on leader Andy Schleck of Luxembourg. Also in the running is Schleck’s older brother, Frank, who is 4 seconds ahead of Evans. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/tour-de-france-finale-schleck-brothers-face-down-australias-evans-in-stage-20-time-trial/2011/07/23/gIQACVssUI_story.html Grenoble showdown could see close Tour de France margin of victory The time gaps between the top three riders in the general classification of the Tour de France aren't the smallest they've ever been heading into the decisive time trial, but considering the pedigree of Andy Schleck, Fränk Schleck and Cadel Evans in the race against the clock, Saturday's 42.5km test in Grenoble could result in one of history's closest Tours de France. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/grenoble-showdown-could-see-close-tour-de-france-margin-of-victory Schleck closes in on Tour glory Andy Schleck will seek to realise his dream of Tour de France glory after taking the race leader's yellow jersey on Friday's 109.5km 19th stage from Modane Valfrejus to Alpe-d'Huez. The 26-year-old Leopard Trek rider enters Saturday's time-trial in Grenoble with a 53-second lead over brother and team-mate Frank Schleck and an advantage of 57 seconds over Cadel Evans (BMC Racing). Evans is considered to be the superior rider against the clock, but Andy Schleck remains confident after taking the maillot jaune on the final day in the Alps. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/latest/2011/07/23/schleck-closes-in-on-tour-glory-115875-23290850/