Cadel Evans survived yet another day of carnage on the Tour de France on
Sunday, but admits to being spooked after seeing a crash which left
more big names abandoning the race in agony.
The two-time
runner-up started the 208km ninth stage from Issoire to Saint Flour in
the Massif Central only one second off the pace of Norway's world
champion Thor Hushovd.
After Samuel Sanchez of Rabobank took his
first win of the season, leading home new yellow jersey man Thomas
Voeckler of France, Evans arrived with the peloton and all the big
favourites almost four minutes later.
He sits third over at 2:26
behind Voeckler with Spaniard Sanchez second at 1:49. The Schleck
brothers Frank and Andy are fourth and fifth respectively at 2:29 and
2:37 while Alberto Contador sits 16th at 4:07.
Somehow the
Australian – not known for enjoying fortune in the race – avoided being
caught in the major pile-up on the descent of the Col du Pas de Peyrol
which ended the yellow jersey hopes of Belgian Jurgen van den Broeck.
Also
abandoning was his Omega-Pharma team-mate Fredrik Willems, American
David Zabriskie (Garmin) and veteran Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov of
Astana.
Evans seemed to be simply in the right place at the right
time when a left-hand bend, raced at speed and in semi-humid
conditions, conspired with a fast-moving and nervous peloton to cause
mayhem.
"I came around a blind corner and they were all lying
there," said Evans, who highlighted the current state of fear in the
peloton following the death of Belgian Wouter Weylandt in May at the
Giro d'Italia.
"I saw a lot of riders in the road and honestly,
it really, really frightened me, especially after what happened to
Wouter Weylandt in the Giro."
Rivals, however, have not had it so easy.
Contador,
the three-time and defending champion, hit the deck for the fourth time
in eight days when the saddle of Russia's Vladimir Karpets tapped his
handlebars, sending the Spaniard tumbling.
He was able to finish
the hilly stage in Evans' chase group but later revealed a knee pain,
first felt after one of two crashes on Wednesday, had flared up again.
"Today, I had a few problems and I'm a little bit anxious about my knee," said Contador.
"After I crashed, I began feeling the pain again but I hope, with some ice and some rest, it will get better."
Robert
Gesink, a respected climber considered an outsider for the yellow
jersey this year, is 4:01 behind after his own crash woe on Wednesday
and suffering back pain since.
He is also spooked by the mass pile-up.
"When
I saw the crashes, I was just relieved not to be caught up," said
Gesink. "I saw guys lying everywhere. There were guys coming crawling
out of the bushes.
"I was a victim of a crash a few days ago and, unfortunately, it's part of cycling."
After
riding out of the Massif Central on Tuesday, the race moves into the
Pyrenees mountains for three consecutive stages which are likely to
eliminate more yellow jersey contenders.
Britain's Bradley
Wiggins of Team Sky crashed out of the race on Friday and, on Sunday,
his team-mate Juan Antonio of Flecha was one of two riders hit late in
the stage by a passing television car.
Both riders survived the
stage but the reaction of Dutchman Johnny Hoogerland, who was also sent
spectacularly somersaulting through the air, showed maturity beyond his
years.
"Nobody can be blamed for this. It's a horrible accident
and I was in it. But I said to Flecha, 'We're still alive and Wouter
Weylandt died in a crash'," said Hoogerland.
"I think the people
in the car will have a very big guilty feeling and they will surely
apologise to me and Flecha. We can still be happy that we're alive."
