Cadel Evans back in the saddle for Vuelta a Espana

By Rupert Guinness
Updated September 22 2014 - 10:09am, first published August 23 2014 - 1:04pm

Time and several career-defining successes have helped Cadel Evans come to terms with the events that may have cost him victory in the Vuelta a Espana five years ago.

But as the 37 year-old prepared for Saturday's start of this year's Vuelta in Jerez de la Fronterra – and his 17th grand tour – the pained memory of what happened on the finishing climb to Sierra Nevada on stage 13 in 2009 was still fresh.

Evans, who later that year won the elite world road race title and in 2011 the Tour de France – in both instances, the first Australian to do so – scoffed when asked a if he had moved on from the incident in which an incredibly slow neutral service after he flatted robbed him of any chance of taking the overall lead, and possibly winning overall.

The 1m 23s it took to resume racing after a botched wheel change, switch of bikes to a spare and a 10 second time penalty for taking a drink bottle from his team saw Evans fell from second overall at 7s to Spanish leader Alejandro Valverde to fifth at 1m 33s.

He still finished third overall after 21 stages at 1m 32s to Valverde, but that the margin was exactly what he lost to him on stage 13 certainly raised his suspicions.

"It took a while to forget that one. To get past that experience," said Evans (BMC).

"I was pretty disappointed about the whole situation, and the circumstances. It was quite a disgrace for the race and professionalism of the neutral service.

"Having such a big impact on the race is not something we should expect at this level of professionalism ... fortunately, luck went my way at the world championship after."

Evans' success since has helped to appease angst and suspicion for what happened.

But should it occur again upon his return to the Vuelta – confirmed during this year's Tour jn July, which he missed to focus on the Giro d'Italia, where he finished eighth overall – Evans says he will be ready.

He especially will be if Spanish teammate Samuel Sanchez, 36, the 2008 Olympic road champion and BMC's Vuelta leader, finds himself in similar strife.

"I would like to think in that situation I will be ready for 'Samu,' to give him a wheel so that he is fine to stay in the race and not have such misfortune affect his race," Evans said.

Evans is fully committed to being Sanchez's wingman, rather than racing in his customary role as team leader.

Evans' recent strong form that saw him win the last two stages of the Tour of Utah in the US has definitely not altered his position.

"Let's see how it goes and how he goes," he said.

"But I believe he will be good and our best chance of doing a good 'GC' [general classification].

"I'd rather sacrifice my own chances than compromise his. If an opportunity comes to me for a stage, so be it. If not, that's OK."

Sanchez faces a big challenge against a bevy of favourites that includes: Colombians Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Briton Chris Froome (Sky), Spaniards Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha), Italian Fabio Aru (Astana), Dutchman Wilko Kelderman (Belkin), Canadian Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp), Irishman Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp), and Belgian Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol).

Is it the strongest starting list of overall contenders in any of the grand tours this year?

"I think so, from a matter of circumstances ... through guys being forced out of the Giro ... forced out of the Tour through accidents," said Evans who, with a third in 2009, also has a 60th in 2004 and fourth in 2007 to show for his three Vueltas.

"It's the best field in the Vuelta we've had ... certainly since I have been racing it."

The favourite for Evans is Quintana, this year's Giro winner and 2013 Tour runner-up to Froome, on a 21-stage 3239.9km course that starts at Jerez de la Frontera in the south of Andalucia with a 12.6km team time trial.

The course also includes eight summit finishes – two less than last year – and two individual time trials totalling 46.4km before finishing in Santiago de Compostela in the north of Galicia on September 14.

Quintana is certainly in ominous form, having returned to Europe from training in Colombia to win last week's Vuelta a Burgos in Spain.

"I see Quintana as the big favourite," Evans said.

"With eight mountain finishes, that is going to be enough – maybe not for huge chunks of time, but with such small amounts of time trialling, with his losses the chances for the not-so-pure climbers to take time out of him will possibly be limited. The best climber will win this race."

Evans believes Sanchez, second in the 2009 Vuelta and third in 2007, is a still top five hope.

"I don't know if he can podium, but first five ... if he can be there," Evans said.

Evans, like many in the Vuelta, is also racing with one eye on the world road title on September 28 at Ponferrada in north-west Spain, and the Giro di Lombardia in Italy.

"The best way to get into my best level for the end of season races is to race hard," Evans said.

"Whether that is for Samu's interest, or the team's interest ... or by being a helper for Phil [Gilbert], or going for stage wins myself ... we will let the race tell that."

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