Evans missing his main man

Sam Bennett and Shane Archbold wait for the team presentation to begin (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

By Iker Rioja

Cadel Evans, who is currently looking set to take his second Grand Tour podium finish of the season, will be missing an important team-mate for the tough mountain stage on Friday to Alto de Abantos - the man he called his "main man" on his personal website, Josep Jufré. Jufré abandoned the race after stage 14 after suffering from dehydration due to a intestinal infection, after putting in a strong performance as domestique for his Predictor-Lotto captain.

Evans called Jufré "one of the best team-mates" he has ever had, and wondered why the team hadn't made any moves to extend his contract, something Evans considers a mistake. Jufré previously rode for the team Relax-Bodysol, whose Belgian riders went back to Lotto in 2005 when the Belgian sponsor quit that Spanish cycling team. Nevertheless, he was also given the opportunity to move to the ProTour team a year later. In 2006, he also had to abandon the Vuelta due to a spectacular crash in the first week.