Evans says he can beat Contador; doesn’t mention Lance Armstrong

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Cadel Evans says that he can beat Alberto Contador at the Tour de France, but he doesn’t say anything about Lance Armstrong. “I think I can beat Contador in the Tour,” Evans told Cycling News. “I expected more of him in the Dauphine. I defeated him twice in the time trial, which is also a sign that he can be beat.” He goes on to say that he does not feel the pressure to win as much this year as he did last year, when Contador could not defend his title.

More Tour de France News:

• The ASO and the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) will be rolling out a new test for a doping product that was previously undetectable. The test is being done in conjunction with the UCI. The product has not been named, surely with a plan to make riders drop anything they may be using.
• The ASO and the UCI both have said that they want Alejandro Valverde to be able to race in the Tour de France. They may exploit a possible loophole that says that Valverde is not allowed to race in competitions organized by Italy’s cycling federation. Since the Tour is a French race, he may be able to compete. [Obviously, having the top-ranked rider in the world start the race is a major publicity boon, but wouldn't having the winner of Paris-Roubaix be pretty big, too? Maybe they just don't like Tom Boonen. - Ed.]
• In related news, Spain’s minister for sport says that they have not been able to extend Valverde’s ban in Spain because they have yet to be provided all of the evidence that Italy is in possession of. The Spanish authorities have been unable to gain access to the evidence because when the original charges were brought in 2006, doping was not an offence in Spain and prosecutions could only be made for offenses against public health.
• World Champion Alessandro Ballan will start the race, but says that he is at about 70%, and does not expect to make a huge impact.
• Columbia Highroad has settled on five of the men for their Tour de France team: Mark Cavendish, Michael Rogers, Tony Martin, George Hincapie and Kim Kirchen. The remainder of the team will come from Thomas Lövkvist, Markus Burghardt, Maxime Monfort, Mark Renshaw and Bernhard Eisel.
• Katusha said today that Gert Steegmans will not go to the Tour de France because he “is not in shape”. Of course, he has yet to sign the team’s anti-doping charter, so we know why he is really sitting on the bench. Expect a magical jump in fitness if he should decide to sign the contract addendum.

Racing News:

• American Tejay Van Garderen will join the Columbia-Highroad team next year. Van Garderen is a very successful graduate of USA Cycling’s rider development program in Izegem, Belgium.
• OUCH-Maxxis’s defending National Racing Calendar champ Rory Sutherland remains solidly atop the NRC standings. Team Type 1′s Alison Powers continues to lead the women’s NRC standings. Powers’ team also maintains a narrow lead over Team Tibco in the women’s team NRC standings.
• The CPA (the association for professional cyclists) has issued a statement saying that the organization is solidly opposed to the recent anti-doping contract clauses that some teams have been trying to get riders to sign.
• Sven Nys had been expected to participate in the Belgian national road championships, but he is still recovering from a viral infection and decided to take a pass.
• Norwegian Gunn-Rita Dahle has returned from maternity leave to once again tear up mountain bike courses around the world.
• Robbie McEwen will make his comeback at the post-Tour criterium at Diksmuide.
• In an odd show of support for Alejandro Valverde, the Italian team for the world championships (Danilo Di Luca, Ivan Basso, Vicenzo Nibali, Alessandro Ballan, Damiano Cunego, Giovanni Visconti, Filippo Pozzato and Stefano Garzelli) said that the race course in Mendrisio, Switzerland would perfectly suit the Spanish rider.
• Andreas Kloden will skip the German championships, though no clear reason was given.
• Italy’s Emanuele Sella will be eligible to return to competition on July 23rd. He has been talking to teams but has yet to sign a contract. He hopes to have his first race on August 18th.
• The transfer of Kenny Dehaes to Silence-Lotto has been confirmed. His first race with the team will be
• With the new financial guarantees provided by the team sponsors, The UCI has officially withdrawn the proceedings against Astana.
• James Raia over at the Cycling Examiner is reporting that the thieves who stole Lance Armstrong’s bike during the Tour of California will receive “stiff penalties” for the theft. [I'm SURE that the next guy who steals a messenger's bike off of a light pole will receive a similar sentence. - Ed.]

Tags: alberto contador, Alejandro Valverde, Alessandro Ballan, Alison Powers, Andreas Kloden, ASO, astana, Bernhard Eisel, cadel evans, Columbia Highroad, Damiano Cunego, danilo di luca, Filippo Pozzato, George Hincapie, Gert Steegmans, Giovanni Visconti, Ivan Basso, kim kirchen, Lance Armstrong, Mark Cavendish, national racing calendar, Paris-Roubaix, Racing News, Robbie McEwen, Rory Sutherland, Silence-Lotto, Stefano Garzelli, Sven Nys, Team Type 1, Tom Boonen, Tour de France News, USA Cycling, World Championship, World Championships