Cadel Evans and Michal Kwiatkowski in the yellow jersey group(Image credit: Sirotti)
Cadel Evans (BMC) in action during stage 9(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Cadel Evans lost 4:13 on stage 8 of the Tour de France and languished in 23rd position ahead of stage 9 to Bagnères-de-Bigorre but a dogged ride during Movistar’s all-out offensive followed by a defensive stance on the final climb of Hourquette d’Ancizan saw the Australian finish alongside the main overall race contenders.
The 2011 Tour winner now sits 16th overall, 4:36 down. As he warmed down in the shade by the BMC bus Evans spoke about what he felt had been a bizarre stage after Garmin and then Movistar took the fight to Sky.
The British team crumbled on the first two climbs, leaving Froome isolated for much of the stage, with the race leader forced to cover a number of moves.
Evans, with his confidence partially restored now heads into the rest day happier, and admitted that "he will keep his hopes alive and quitting is not an option."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
