Reigning World Champion Cadel Evans is looking forward to next year’s Tour de France, especially with the elimination of the team time trial that saw the Australian lose valuable time to the race favorites.
But according to an interview with the Geelong Advertiser, Evans thinks the contenders will have their work cut out for them on a course that suits this year’s victor Alberto Contador the best.
Evans told the paper, “Some people say it is better for me. I think it [the route] suits [Alberto] Contador better than 2009.
“It doesn’t have the team time trial, which suits me but the two climbs up Tourmalet suit Contador.”
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will be making his second bid for an eighth Tour de France crown next year. He’s promised to come back stronger in 2010, and has acknowledged that coming out of retirement after more than three years didn’t do his chances for and eighth win any favors.
Armstrong’s impressive performance landed the 38-year-old on the podium and could well have doping inspectors refocus their efforts on his possible discovery of the “Fountain of Youth”. Logically, one would have to think it’s not possible for performance enhancing products to make that sort of difference, but the Texan will certainly always have his doubters.
Evans, a two-time runner-up in the Tour, knows the race as well as anyone, and understands that on cycling’s biggest stage the race will always be hard.
“I don’t think it makes much difference whether it is Alpe d’Huez or Tourmalet, it’s always hard to climb,” said Evans.
“It’s a bit of a new thing for the big tours to go up the same hill twice. At least it makes the course reconnaissance a bit easier for us.
“Some of the things are for me, some things against.” he added.
The race organizers have done well to make the early days of the race unpredictable having it pass through Belgium and Holland. In the north winds could come into play as well as the seven cobbled sections covering 13.2 kilometers in the third stage.
This isn’t the first time the Tour has passed over the cobbled sections of the Spring Classics, having done so in 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1989 and most recently in 2004. Any climbing specialist had better do their homework if they expect to be in contention for final victory. Second placed finisher Andy Schleck has already added the Tour of Flanders to his program for 2010 to gain experience riding the rough roads of Belgium, and anyone who plans on winning will follow suit.