GRENOBLE, France — Cadel Evans seized the Tour de France yellow jersey in the next to last stage Saturday, all but giving Australia its first victory in cycling’s showpiece event and capping one of the most dramatic races in years.
Evans, a two-time runner-up in the Tour de France, took the overall lead by overcoming a 57-second deficit to Andy Schleck of Luxembourg in the time trial. Evans choked up on the podium, holding back tears before hurling the winner’s bouquet into the crowd.
“I really can’t quite believe it right now,” the 34-year-old Aussie said. “I have been concentrating on one event for so long.”
There is one more stage — today’s ceremonial finish along the Champs-Elysees in Paris — but the leader after the time trial is almost certain to be the winner. Launching a successful attack during that flat ride is virtually impossible.
The Schleck brothers, knowing they had lost, embraced after the finish line of the 26-mile time trial. Evans leads Andy Schleck by 1:34 and Frank Schleck by 2:30.
Boulder’s Garmin-Cervelo all but wrapped up the team title when Tom Danielson finished 11th, Christian Vande Velde 25th and Dave Millar 33rd. Danielson remains ninth overall and should secure a top-10 finish today.
“It’s a dream come true. To be in the top 10 at my first Tour de France, I can’t believe it,” Danielson said on the team website.
“(The team title) is something you start the Tour with having it in the back of your mind, but we rode smart, and later in the race it was right there for the taking,” Vande Velde said on the website.
Ryder Hesjedal has been key to Danielson, who is the top American, securing a top 10.
“I am glad that I was there to help him achieve his goal,” Hesjedal said on the website. “I had to forget about my own GC chances early because I had a few crashes.”
The 20th stage was won by Tony Martin of Germany. Evans finished second in the stage — seven seconds behind — and was 2:31 faster than Andy Schleck.
The riders set off in reverse order of the standings. Andy Schleck had the benefit of riding last and said beforehand that he’d have the added inspiration of wearing yellow.
The looming victory for Evans, the BMC team leader who first saw the Tour at age 14, culminated a stellar and methodical three weeks of riding. Unlike defending race champ-ion Alberto Contador and other main contenders, Evans was spared crashes.
At a glance
A brief look at Saturday’s 20th stage of the Tour de France:
Stage: The penultimate stage of this year’s race was a time trial of 26.4 miles, starting and ending in the Alpine city of Grenoble.
Winner: Tony Martin, the German time-trial specialist on the HTC-Highroad team completed the course in 55 minutes, 33 seconds, seven seconds ahead of Australian cyclist Cadel Evans. Yellow jersey: Evans’ fantastic ride has taken him from third place overnight to first place, with a lead of 1:34 over Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck. With the final stage little more than a victory parade, Evans is now guaranteed the victory.
Where is Alberto Contador? The three-time winner finished the stage in fifth, 3:57 back.
Garmin-Cervelo: The Boulder-based team all but won the team classification, and Tom Danielson, the top American, is all but assured of a top-10 finish.
Quote of the day: “There were a few days when we had to throw everything we had, plus the kitchen sink, to defend it.” — Christian Vande Velde, on Garmin-Cervelo’s quest for the team title
Today: The final stage starts from the suburb of Creteil and ends on Paris’ Champs-Elysees. For the winner of the race, it will be a long celebratory procession. For the sprinters, the stage victory and the green points jersey are still in play.
