Cadel in the Pink!

Great start from Cadel Evans in the Giro. This report form the Australian:

IT has taken just two days for Australia’s Cadel Evans to stamp his authority on the Giro d’Italia.

Evans showed why he’s among the best in the world to be back in the pink race leader’s jersey he last held at this grand olf tour eight years ago.

The Victorian BMC Racing team leader holds a single second lead going into today’s third and last stage in the Netherlands, but it is means much more after a day from Amsterdam to Utrecht was marred by a series of crashes.

While American Tyler Farrar from Garmin-Transitions took the 209km stage in four hours 56mins. 46secs. in a bunch sprint from Tasmania’s Matt Goss (HTC-Columbia) and Fabio Sabatini (Liquigas), the day belonged to Evans.

“Today was one of the most ridiciously dangerous days I’ve seen in my career,” Evans said after the stage.

“I saw many nervous riders today, too nervous.”When it’s dangerous like that, experience counts, but so does luck.

“Back in 2002, Evans lost the jersey he won the first time on stage 17, the next day.

“I’m not going to look at keeping the jersey at any cost,” he added as the survivors of was a demolition derby-like stage, that claimed BMC Racing team-mate Michael Kohler with a broken collarbone, heading into today’s 224km third stage to Middleberg.

It is the last day of racing in the Netherlands before tomorrow’s first rest day before the field hits the roads of Italy proper.

Evans in the maglia rosa took BMC Racing team director John LeLangue by surprise, even though he began the day just two seconds behind overnight leader Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky).

“The most important thing is taking time from the other contenders,” LeLangue said.

“We want to be in the first group every day and not lose time. We want the team to be in a good position going into the last 10 days of the race.

The stage began uneventful enough with a four man breakaway that comprised Paul Voss (Milram), Rick Flens (Rabobank), Stefano Pirazzi (CSF-Inox) and Mauro Facci (Quick Step).

At one point they held a 10 minute lead, before the bunch went to work to reel them in.It took some strong work at the front from Team Sky to make the catch as they went about trying to protect Wiggins in the pink jersery.

Then the nervy bunch got caught up in a series of crashes including eventual stage winner Farrar who was involved in a pile-up with Sydney’s Chris Sutton 23kms from the stage finish.

A quick change of shoe got Farrar back up and chasing.Another pile-up seven kilometres from the finish saw Wiggins caught out at the back of the bunch and out of the reckoning for stage honours.

Evans, riding a smart race, missed the chaos.In the end it came down to a bunch sprint, with Farrar outsprinting Goss and Sabatini after the three had reeled in Sutton’s somewhat audacious attack in the final 250.

Sutton had to settle for sixth, just ahead of veteran sprinter Robbie McEwen from Team Katusha.

Evans goes into today’s third stage, just one second ahead of Farrar, with Astana’s Alexandre Vinokourov, third.Tasmania’s Richie Porte (Saxo Bank) still has the white jersey on his back as the best young rider.

Of the rest of the Australians, the best placed are Goss at 13 seconds, Baden Cooke (Saxo Bank) at 21 seconds and Adam Hansen (HTC-Columbia) at 24 seconds.

Then comes Luke Roberts (Milram), Sutton (Team Sky), Graeme Brown (Rabobank), Cameron Meyer (Garmin-Transitions), McEwen (Katusha), Matt Lloyd (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Mathew Hayman (Sky) and Jack Bobridge (Garmin-Transitions) at 5mins 23 seconds.

posted 2010 May 10 by Robert Boyd