Cyclingnews' enigmatic Aussie reporter John Trevorrow got a few quick grabs with a few of the crew from Down Under as well as Thor Hushovd at the start of the second stage in Obernai.
Cadel Evans (Davitamon-Lotto)
CN: Hi Cadel, how's it been so far?
A: It wasn't too bad yesterday. Pretty quiet day for us [GC] fellas, really. We just tried to keep out of trouble. We'll just see how today goes. I reckon some of the teams will put the pressure on towards the finish in an attempt to get rid of Robbie on the climbs. I guess I'll try and look after Robbie a bit. We'll see how it goes.
Michael Rogers (T-Mobile Team)
CN: Hi Mick, how's it shaping up?
A: I came here with the idea of looking after Jan but obviously all that has changed now. We can only concentrate on the stages ahead and do as good a Tour as we can.
I'm not going too bad; I was really happy with my prologue the other day. It was a very positive day for me and I just have to stay out of trouble for the next few stages. Try and conserve my energies for the time trials and the climbs. At the moment, as things stand, Klöden and I are co-team leaders up until the time trial and then we'll see how it pans out from there.
Even within the team we're a bit undecided; it's been a bit of a shock and I think it's going to take a couple of days to work out the whole thing. It [team leadership] will be decided on the guy in the best form - there are no lucky performances. This is a top team and all the energies will go to looking after the best rider; whether it be me or Klöden or someone else as team leader. I reckon we can have a good GC race.
Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole)
Thor Hushovd looked in a spot of bother before the start. He couldn't even sign an autograph because of his injured arm.
CN: You are obviously in a bit of pain?
A: Yes, we will see how it goes. My arm is pretty sore. I can ride 240km, no problem, but whether I can race is a different problem. I cannot grip too hard so we will just have to wait and see.
Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto)
CN: You look pretty relaxed?
A: No probs. I feel great and it should be a hectic stage. It gets a bit tough towards the end and I'm sure the pressure will be on, but they are only cat 4 climbs so I should be able to handle it. It looks a fast run into the finish so it should be a very quick sprint.
