Cadel Evans’ podium hopes are over
On the steps of the BMC Racing tour bus, team leader Cadel Evans teared up while trying to explain how he managed to lose eight minutes in the ninth stage of the 2010 Tour de France. He apologized to owner Jim Ochowicz and director John Lelangue for dropping from 1st place to 18th in a single miserable day.
Sylvain Chavanel, who held the yellow jersey before Evans took it in stage 8, admitted that the fight was not his, but rather that it belonged to Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, and Evans. But Contador and Schleck finished the 9th stage in 6th and 7th respectively, for overall classifications of 2nd and 1st respectively, while Evans finished the stage 42nd, effectively burying his hopes for a podium finish.
At the star of the stage, Evans had his shoulder heavily strapped, explained afterward as a fractured elbow. He suffered the injury in a crash early in the 8th stage, for which he spent the rest day with a physiotherapist. Ochowicz said the fracture was discovered during the rest day but the team chose not to announce the injury before the stage.
"We decided as a team not to tell anybody about it and try and fake it through the race and get to the finish,” said Ochowicz. “We didn't want to let our competitors know and have them attacking him during the race on the early climbs."
Intends to finish race
The physiotherapist, Dr. Testa, stated that Evans intends to continue the Tour as long as there is no risk of permanent damage, and explained that the fracture, while painful, is small and stable.
"I'm not at my normal level, but when you're in yellow at the Tour de France, you've got to be there," said Evans. “Normally today was a chance for the stage win and it wouldn't have an effect on the GC. Now I'm pretty sure it's all over for this year."
The world champion was honoured to have the opportunity to go from the rainbow jersey to the yellow jersey – a rare feat. For the rest day, he gave the jersey to the team’s assistant director, Jacques Michaud for his birthday, and credited the whole team with having earned the yellow.
While concerned about his arm, Evans had hoped the legs were all that mattered, and the Monday’s day off would have been enough to keep his form. But that was not the case.
“I put in a lot of work and I suffer on my bike everyday and I do it with pleasure. For the guys who have supported me and been so good, the team and Andy Rihs, the owner of the team and everyone who has believed in this project, I'm just so sorry to let them all down."
A gutsy performance
Considering his injury, which only a handful of the BMC staff knew about in order to keep moral high, Evans did very well in Tuesday’s race. At the 25km final climb of the stage, and the hardest climb of the Tour so far, Evans was still riding with the favourites. Not until the Col de la Madeleine hit its steepest stretch 16km in did Evans falter.
By the end his pain was written on his face, physically and emotionally. Teammate Mauro Santambrogio supported him for the flat, 32km stretch to the finish line, and literally gave Evans a shoulder to cry on when the stage was done.
“You saw the outcome, he doesn’t have full mobility in his elbow and so had difficulty staying with the group, even when we were doing tempo,” said Ochowicz. “At the end, the injury just overwhelmed him."
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