That's right, there was also a stage of the Tour de France yesterday - so what else happened?
Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto)
Predictor-Lotto's GC leader didn't find the stage 12 parcours as difficult as the previous day, despite the category two hill with 48km to go. "Not quite [as hard as yesterday] but we went pretty hard on that downhill though. It wasn't ridiculous up the climb, it was more the downhill and the sprinters had so much more to gain. The GC guys are all waiting to do something tomorrow.
"Yesterday was the easiest day on paper, and I saw on Italian, Swiss TV that it was the fastest stage in history. I find that hard to believe with the amount of head wind. But it was fast." Evans has managed to come out so far unscathed, unlike his sprinters Robbie McEwen and Fred Rodriguez. He credited the American with keeping him safe. "When you have good sprinters looking after you like Fred Rodriguez who is one of the best lead out guys in the world, to hold you in position it certainly helps."
Rodriguez was banged up in the crash on stage 11's finale, and that concerned Evans before the stage. "He made it down to dinner last night but I'm sure he will be a bit sore early on. But if it's really on, well I don't expect him to get past the cat 2 climb anyway. You don't see it on TV but there is a lot of work the boys are doing that's really important."
Simon Gerrans (Ag2r)
"First 60 kms was full gas 'til those two guys went away. There was a lot of up and down and cross winds, then we eventually sat up and cruised for a while. So with the break established it was a fair way to go to the finish for anyone to really light it up." Gerrans crashed along with team leader on stage 11, and described his injuries, "I feel like I've done a couple of rounds with Mundine."
Geraint Thomas (Barloworld)
The young British rider on the South African team is having a better time than he expected in the Tour. "Yeah it's awesome. To be here in the Tour de France and prove we deserve to be here. Don't really need to expand on that really." He was expected to pull out in the Alps, but made it through, much to his own surprise. "Yeah, I'm enjoying being here and I've managed to get through so I'll keep trying." How long he'll keep on is yet to be seen. "I'll see how I'm going, I'd like to but I'm not going to put myself in a box trying.
