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PARIS (AP) — Cadel Evan’s history-making Tour de France victory is
as much a testament to patience as it is to endurance.
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At 34, the soft-spoken Australian rider put aside the
disappointment of two runner-up finishes to finally stand atop the
podium on the Champs Elysees on Sunday as champion of cycling’s
great race.
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In a meticulous race, run with a strategy of almost military
precision, Evans won only the fourth of 21 stages on this year’s
Tour, but always remained within striking distance.
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It was only on the last competitive leg – the individual time trial
– that Evans claimed his first leader’s Yellow Jersey from nearest
rival Andy Schleck and the ultimate prize after 20 years of
cycling.
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Wrapped in the national flag and with tears in his eyes, Evans
listened as French-based Australian singer Tina Arena sang their
national anthem after he became the first Australian, the oldest
rider since World War II, and the first man outside Europe or the
United States to win the most prestigious race in
cycling.
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“I couldn’t be any happier. A few people always believed in me. I
always believed in me. And we did it,” Evans said.
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He celebrated after crossing the finish line in the pack on the
Champs-Elysee, embracing riders from different teams as the massive
crowd on France’s most famous thoroughfare cheered
wildly.
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Evans bounded up the steps onto the podium, taking deep breaths,
then appeared at the top looking calm and waved the bouquet he
received in the air.
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“Thank you to everyone. It’s really incredible,” he told the
crowd.
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Evans was joined on the podium by the Schleck brothers of
Luxembourg – Andy, who finished second overall for the third
straight year, and Frank. Andy finished 1 minute, 34 seconds behind
Evans in the final standings.
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Evans’ Italian wife, Chiara, stood at his side after the
presentation ceremony.
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“I think he’s worked very hard,” she said.
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Evans is the third non-European to win the Tour since it started in
1903. Greg LeMond broke the European dominance in 1986 with the
first of his three wins, and fellow American Lance Armstrong won
seven straight starting in 1999.
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It’s been a long wait for Evans, who first showed himself as a
challenger for major races in 2002, and finished second in the Tour
in 2007 and 2008.
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Evans is the oldest winner of the Tour’s postwar period, narrowly
eclipsing Gino Bartali of Italy – who was also 34 but slightly
younger when he won in 1948. The age record was set by 36-year-old
Firmin Lambot of Belgium in 1922.
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“Cadel was the best of the Tour and he deserved to win,” said
26-year-old Andy Schleck. “Second isn’t bad, and my brother was on
the podium, too. I’ll be back to win this Tour. We have a date for
next year.”
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This year was a far cry from the Tours of many recent years that
were dominated almost from the start by Armstrong or, later,
Alberto Contador. This was a race that defied predictions and was
still hanging in the balance on the final weekend.
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Evans rarely made his presence obvious, but he was always there. Up
every mountain he was never more than one bicycle length behind his
rivals. He knew he didn’t need to attack to win.
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Still, when Andy Schleck broke away from the field on the climb of
the Galibier pass on Thursday, observers thought Evans’ BMC team
had made a critical mistake. But Evans remained calm.
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He went into Saturday’s time-trial needing to make up almost a
minute on Schleck; he did much better than that, finishing that
stage more than 2 1/2 minutes quicker than Schleck.
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“The real highlight was the last three to four kilometers of the
time trial (Saturday) because I knew we were on the right track,”
Evans said.
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Sunday’s 21st and final stage – the most prestigious for the race’s
sprinters – was won by Britain’s Mark Cavendish for the third year
in a row, despite being forced to change his bike on the
Champs-Elysees. He also took the green jersey for the overall best
sprinter.
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Cavendish crossed the line holding out the green jersey he was
wearing, and then kissed it. Despite his 20 Tour stage victories,
the jersey had eluded him until now.
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“Finally!” he said.
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Second place in the stage went to Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway.
Andre Greipel of Germany was third.
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The polka-dot jersey awarded to the best climber went to Olympic
champion Samuel Sanchez of Spain, who brought his two children onto
the podium with him. The best young rider was Pierre Rolland of
France, who won the classic climb up the Alpe d’Huez on
Friday.
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Before setting off on Sunday, riders removed their helmets and
observed a minute of silence in tribute to the victims of the
attacks in Norway on Friday.
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“When this kind of thing happens, everybody forgets about the
sport,” Norwegian rider Thor Hushovd said. “It’s not even important
in comparison.
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“It’s quite nice that everybody thinks of us. We’re a small country
… unfortunately this can happen anywhere.”
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Hushovd and Boasson Hagen won two stages each in this year’s
race.
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—
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Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten contributed to this
report.
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