Cadel Evans wins Tour de France 2011 title
PARIS: Cadel Evans paddled it to the unmet glory on Sunday when he became the first-ever Australian rider to win the Tour de France cycle race as Mark Cavendish of Britain won the Champs Elysees for the third straight year.
Mark Cavendish. Courtesy: Getty Images
Cadel Evans, 34, decided to stay safe in the peloton and used all of his experience to keep showing resilience till the end as he dethroned Alberto Contador of Spain.
It is important to mention here that Cadel Evans is the oldest Tour de France winner since 1923 while three-time Tour champion Alberto Contador’s unbeaten run in a grand tour since 2007 also came to an end.
Cadel Evans. Courtesy: Getty Images
Andy Schleck who was leading the lot after 18th stage of the Tour finished second in the overall standings for the third year in a row as he fell 1:34 behind Evans who registered his first grand tour crown.
Frank Schleck finished third 2:30 off the pace to join his brother on the final Tour de France podium for the first time.
Samuel Sanchez. Courtesy: Getty Images
Cadel Evans, with this victory, ended a Spanish domination of the Tour de France as the Spanish riders had won the last five Tours in France. Alberto Contador won it in 2007, 2009, and 2010; Oscar Pereiro in 2006; and Carlos Sastre claimed the Tour de France title in 2008.
Cadel Evans had stored his best for the final two stages of the Tour de France 2011 as he overcame a 57 seconds deficit against Andy Schleck on Saturday when he defeated the rider from Luxembourg by 2:31.
Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck. Courtesy: Getty Images
Cavendish got the best points to claim the Green Jersey over Spain’s Jose Roaquin Rojas as he led the second and third position holders, Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway and Andre Greipel of Germany, in the final stage from Creteil.
Garmin-Cervelo clinched the team standings after winning the team time trial through Tyler Farrar of the United States and Thor Hushovd of Norway.
Cadel Evans. Courtesy: Getty Images
Local fans had something to cheer about as the local boy Pierre Rolland got the best reward for winning the prestigious stage to l’Alpe d’Huez as he grabbed the White Jersey for being the best under-25 rider while Samuel Sanchez of Spain claimed the Polka-Dot Jersey for best show in the climbing stages.
Cadel Evans absolutely knew that this was his final chance to make an impact in France after finishing as runners-up in 2007 and 2008.
Mark Cavendish. Courtesy: Getty Images
John Lelangue, Evans’ BMC team manager, told reporters, “We rode every stage like a one-day race, as if it were the last stage. We were often criticised for pulling the pack but we wanted to be in front to stay safe”.
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