Cadel Evans’s campaign after three days on the western front has reinvigorated the Victorian’s belief he can win the Tour de France at his seventh attempt. The Evans who lines up for tonight’s start in Lorient, for the tour’s first medium mountain stage, has cast aside his demons and started afresh, even if the objective remains the same to be the winner in Paris on July 24.Cadel Evans warns it is still ”early days” in the Tour de France but there is a growing sense within his team that it could be on the cusp of producing something very special this year.

Tour de France: Cadel Evans prepares to be winner

Cadel Lee Evans (born 14 February 1977) is an Australian professional racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam BMC Racing Team. In 2007, Evans became the first Australian to win the UCI ProTour. He has the highest Tour de France finishes for an Australian, coming second in 2007 and 2008.

With an excellent team time trial on Sunday, Evans charged into prime position to take the race lead in the fourth stage. The BMC team president, Jim Ochowicz, stalled himself when he realised he might have been tempting fate as he talked enthusiastically about Evans’s strong position.

Evans, understandably, will not talk up his yellow jersey chances, despite having spoken about being as well prepared as he ever has been for this year’s Tour. He has twice placed second, in 2007 and 2008. Then last year, he placed 26th after his winning hopes were ambushed the day he took the yellow jersey on stage eight, when he crashed and fractured his elbow.

If Evans had any pre-stage nerves, he wasn’t showing them in the team time trial. He missed out on the yellow jersey by just one second going into the overnight stage to Redon. Evans and his BMC teammates stormed to second place in the stage team time trial, leaving the Australian just one second outside the leader’s yellow jersey behind Thor Hushovd, the Norwegian who succeeded him as world road race champion.

However, there is still a long way to go, and Evans isn’t getting ahead of himself. Evans was lucky to avoid a crash that saw three of his team mates hit the deck late in the third stage of the Tour de France. Evans’ right-hand man George Hincapie was one of three BMC riders who came to grief just 22km from the stage finish, but all three were able to re-mount and rejoin at the back of the peloton. Australian Cadel Evans has stayed out of trouble near the front of the peloton for most of the day as he conserves his energy for the coming mountain stages.

Tags: Cadel Evans, Cycling, Paris, Tour de France, UCI ProTeam BMC Racing Team, UCI ProTour