Cadel Evans at the front of the BMC train(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Cadel Evans (BMC) made it through the stage unscathed(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Tejay van Garderen (BMC) awaits the start of the Tour's seventh stage in Montpellier(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The goal for the BMC Racing Team during the first week of the Tour de France was primarily to protect their general classification contenders Cadel Evans and Tejay van Garderen plus have the team remain healthy and in advance of the first day in the Pyrenees team manager Jim Ochowicz was satisfied with the opening stages.
Evans and van Garderen are in 22nd and 24th overall, 31 seconds behind race leader Daryl Impey, and 23 seconds in arrears of the highest-placed GC threat, Chris Froome (Sky). The deficit is due to their 9th place team time trial result, what Ochowicz called the week's "only downside".
"It's hard to measure but there's no one particular place where we lost a lot of time," Ochowicz told Cyclingnews.
While Ochowicz wouldn't speculate on how BMC's team leadership would play out between Evans and van Garderen, he believes Evans is recovered from the Giro d'Italia and has fitness on par with 2010, when he also did the Giro/Tour double.
"He's fine, healthy," Ochowicz said of Evans. "I think he's recovered from the Giro. I think he's only going to get better from here."
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