Evans satisfied

By Hedwig Kröner in Mâcon

It's been a good Tour de France for Australian climber Cadel Evans: Just two days before the final showdown on the Champs-Elysées in Paris - and just one before the last time trial, which will set the 2006 general classification in stone - the Davitamon-Lotto rider told Cyclingnews that he was happy with his performance in the race.

"So far I'm satisfied with my Tour," Evans said just before the start line in Alpine town Morzine on Friday. "When I had an opportunity, I made the most of it. I've been regular, I've been consistent; from my capacities, I've ridden well." On Saturday, Evans may try to trade his fifth overall placing for a spot on the final podium. "It's not over yet - I hope to do a good time trial...," he continued. "The Top 5 riders in GC are the best five time triallists in the race, as well as Rogers in tenth place. So it should be an interesting one."

The Australian also added that this year's apparent disorganisation within the teams made it even harder for him in the race. "It's been a really different Tour, especially from last year," he said. "Then, you had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen, where it was going to be controlled or not, where it was going to be dangerous. Whereas this year, there were so many unpredictable factors - and that's gone against me. I don't have a team to make up for all these variables, and that cost me a lot of energy."