Cadel Evans – “What's happened has happened... and I'm content”

“I had a really good start to the time trial. In the middle section I had a feeling that Leipheimer was going to be good there and I said to the director, Hendrik Redant, this morning before the stage for him to look out for him. Everyone was talking about how much time I could take on Contador but Levi was closing in on me. I thought, ‘Well, if he can go that fast in the middle, I hope that my strength – over the finishing section where there were some little climbs – would come back. If I slowed down I could have lost second place. _ “For me, it was when the Astana team didn’t contribute to the pace of the chase over the Col de Peyresourde that I lost the Tour de France. Or perhaps it happened when Contador and Rasmussen worked together on the climbs… that’s when I lost time too. It could have been on the Aubisque when I lost time on Leipheimer. Maybe it was a combination of many elements but what’s happened has happened and I’m content. _ “I was depending on Caisse d’Epargne and Astana to help me chase the escape going into Loudenvielle but they weren’t interested and that’s why we lost 55 seconds to Contador. That’s what spoiled what is otherwise the best Tour I could have done.”