Evans Beats Schleck Brothers
Evans took over the lead on Saturday in a time trial and Sunday’s finish was just ceremonial for the most part. Evans is a time trial specialist and he destroyed Andy Schleck on Saturday to take the yellow jersey. Andy finished second overall in the Tour de France while his brother Frank finished third.
The Tour de France had 21 stages with the short one on Sunday pretty much just a way for the winner to take a bow. The last stage is just a sprint to the finish and not much time can be made up. The final stage was won by Britain's Mark Cavendish and he did take the title as the best sprinter.
Evans Pays Out Well
Cadel Evans was listed with cycling betting odds of about 8-1 at BetDSI sportsbook before the Tour de France started. The favorite was Alberto Contador but he fell out of contention in the final week in the Alps. That was where the Schleck brothers excelled and it looked like Andy might have enough to win the title. The problem for Schleck is that he is not very good in the time trials while Evans excels. Evans made up the deficit on Saturday and overtook Schleck for the yellow jersey. Schleck would have been a popular winner with bettors as he was the second choice behind Contador before the Tour de France started.
A Year of Firsts
While Evans was first, the Schlecks finished second and third, marking the first time that brothers had ever finished in the top three in the Tour de France. Evans is not a newcomer to the Tour de France as he was eighth in 2005, fourth in 2006, second in 2007 and in 2009. Last year he had the lead in the mountains until breaking his elbow. It all came together in 2011 though as Evans finally finished first.
