What to make of the team time trial

With the required jersey presentation and post stage interviews, taking yellow means a 45-plus minute delay getting back to the team bus and off to the hotel, which is critical recovery time.

Cadel has managed to avoid these time demands and the corresponding pressure while gaining on all his rivals, including a significant 24 seconds on Contador on top of the 17 seconds he gained on stage one.

He could, however, take yellow on stage four to the Mur de Bretagne. As this could come with more time gains on the other general classification contenders the pros out weigh the cons.

SaxoBank – Alberto Contador

Given the SaxoBank line-up the loss of time by Contador came as no surprise. What was a surprise was that they looked rattled right from the start including getting their bikes checked by the UCI just in the nick of time.

Evans now has one minute and 41 seconds on Contador.

The Spaniard should never be written off but he has a lot of time to claw back and there’s still the question of Giro d’Italia fatigue.

Leopard Trek – Andy Schleck

When watching BMC you will have noticed that Evans was the motor of the team, pulling the longest turns and really driving the pace.

Over at Leopard Trek the Schleck brothers appeared to be just surviving. Frank was sitting at the back from the time they reached the first time check. By the second intermediate check Andy was doing the same as Fabian Cancellara was doing his thing at the front.

Although Evans only gained three seconds on the Schlecks the fact they were passengers for much of the team time trial should provide a boost to his confidence.

But can Evans stick with Andy Schleck in the mountains? The signs are as good as they’ve ever been.

Liquigas-Cannondale – Ivan Basso

For the past few years Liquigas has been deceptively strong. Not this time.

Basso, whose Achilles heel is the time trial, was undoubtedly the strongest on the team but lost time and now sits at 56 seconds down on Evans. Based on his team’s performance against the clock he’ll be spending a fair portion of the next three weeks fending for himself.

Team Sky – Bradley Wiggins

Wiggins was clearly the engine room at Sky. His ability against the clock has never been questioned. But can he stay with the best in the high mountains?

Rabobank – Robert Gesink

Gesink has made big gains against the clock and looked good leading his team home. He’s just 11 seconds down on Evans and should be very pleased with the current situation.

What will be making the Dutch fans nervous is the inevitable crosswinds that will hit the peloton at some point in the first week. It’s not his strong suit. Up the front and out of trouble – easier said than done.

The favourite

After finishing second for the past two years and with a course tailor made for a climber Andy Schleck still remains my favourite to win. But Evans is looking as good as he ever has to wear yellow into Paris. Can he do it?