Mixed feelings among the Belgian team riders

Australian Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) (Image credit: AFP)

"I cannot say if I can win on this course," said this year's second-place finisher Cadel Evans of Belgian team Predictor-Lotto on hln.be. "The Pyrenees before the Alps makes no difference to me. I think the second part will be important for the GC. I will concentrate on the second part, like the majority of the GC riders. But you can lose the Tour in the first half. I found that out in the previous edition. I might have been able to win the Tour, who knows?" Evans applauded the lack of long transfers and said, "That is good for everyone. Riders, journalists, mechanics ...... that gives more time to rest. It is good for the quality of the competition."

His comments were echoed by Marc Sergeant, Lotto's team manager, who spoke to Sporza. He also called the reduced number of time trial kilometers a disadvantage and noted that "Because there is no prologue and because of the win in Brittany, I expect a nervous start. We must be attentive from the very start." He added, "The key to the Tour will lie in the last week, with the only really long time trial and the stage to Alpe d'Huez."

The lack of a prologue "is an advantage for Tom Boonen," said Quick.Step-Innergetic manager Patrick Lefevere, also on Sporza. "Whether the green jersey is really a goal for us next year is something we can't say at this point. We will have to look at the makeup of our team next year. But not only green is possible. In such an opening week you can hold on the yellow jersey for a long time. Because if you win the first stage, you will keep it for perhaps a week. But the opening can bring disappointment, too. Who can say how a mass sprint will turn out?"