Evans wins Tour de France after years of misfortune

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Monday, 25 July 2011 08:41

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First rider from Southern Hemisphere to win TDF

Cadel Evans (BMC) sealed victory in the 2011 Tour de France after a trouble-free final stage to Paris that saw Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) take his third consecutive sprint win on the Champs-Élysées.

In the finishing sprint, Cavendish enjoyed a fine lead-out from his HTC-Highroad squad across the Place de la Concorde, and there was an air of inevitability about the nature of his victory.

Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) came home in second, and André Greipel (Omega Pharma-Lotto) was third, but there was little to be done in the face of Cavendish’s superiority.

Evans finished safely in the peloton to conserve his 1:34 advantage over Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek), thus becoming the first rider from outside of Europe or North America to win the Tour. Schleck’s older brother Fränk joined him on the podium in third place, marking a unique achievement for the Luxembourg siblings.

As is tradition, the peloton ambled along at a relaxed pace after leaving the start in Créteil, where special tribute was paid to the late Laurent Fignon, who died last year. Once in sight of the Eifel Tower, the pace began to rise accordingly, and by the time the bunch hit the legendary Champs-Élysées circuit, the racing had begun in earnest.

A six-man move featuring Ben Swift (Sky), Kristjan Koren (Liquigas-Cannondale), Sergio Paulinho (RadioShack), Christophe Riblon (Ag2r-La Mondiale) and Lars Bak (HTC-Highroad) was the only break to gain any significant traction, but the sextet was swallowed up on the final lap as HTC and Lampre-ISD joined forces to ensure a bunch finish, where Cavendish emerged victorious.

It was the Manxman’s fifth stage win of this Tour, and shored up his first ever victory in the points classification, a prize that had eluded him in his three previous participations in the race.

Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) was crowned king of the mountains, French revelation Pierre Rolland (Europcar) carried the white jersey to Paris and Garmin-Cervélo secured the teams classification.

The day belonged to Cadel Evans, however. After two second place finishes in Paris and years of misfortune at the Tour de France, the Australian must have thought this day would never come, but the 34-year-old scarcely put a pedal stroke out of place in 2011 to seal a deserved victory.

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.