Evans spooked as crashes hit new heights

Former two-time runner-up Evans started the 208km ninth stage from Issoire to Saint Flour in the Massif Central only one second off the pace of Norway's world champion Thor Hushovd.

After Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) took his first win of the season, leading home new yellow jersey man Thomas Voeckler of France, Evans arrived with the peloton and all the big favourites nearly four minutes later.

He now sits third over at 2:26 behind Voeckler with Spaniard Sanchez second at 1:49. The Schleck brothers Frank and Andy are fourth and fifth respectively at 2:29 and 2:37 while Alberto Contador sits 16th at 4:07.

Somehow the Australian -- not known for enjoying fortune on the race -- avoided being caught in the major pile-up on the descent of the Col du Pas de Peyrol which ended the yellow jersey hopes of Belgian Jurgen van den Broeck.

Also abandoning was his Omega-Pharma teammate Fredrik Willems, American David Zabriskie (Garmin) and veteran Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov of Astana.

Evans seemed to be simply in the place at the right time when a left hand bend, raced at speed and in semi-humid conditions, conspired with a fast-moving and nervous peloton to cause mayhem.

"I came around a blind corner and they were all lying there," said Evans, who highlighted the current state of fear in the peloton following the death of Belgian Wouter Weylandt at the Giro d'Italia in May.

"I saw a lot of riders in the road and honestly, it really, really frightened me, especially after what happened to Wouter Weylandt in the Giro d'Italia."

Rivals, however, have not had it so easy.

Contador, the three-time and defending champion, hit the deck for the fourth time in eight days when the saddle of Russia's Vladimir Karpets tapped his handlebars, sending the Spaniard tumbling.

He got up to finish the hilly stage in Evans' chase group, but later revealed that a knee pain first felt after one of two crashes on Wednesday had flared up again.

"Today I had a few problems and I'm a little bit anxious about my knee," said Contador.

"After I crashed I began feeling the pain again but I hope with some ice and some rest it will get better."

Robert Gesink, a respected climber considered an outsider for the yellow jersey this year, is 4:01 behind having suffered his own crash woe on Wednesday and suffered with back pain since.

He was also spooked by the mass pile-up.

"When I saw the crashes I was just relieved not to be caught up," said Gesink. "I saw guys lying everywhere... there were guys coming crawling out of the bushes.

"I was a victim of a crash a few days ago and unfortunately its part of cycling."

After riding out of the Massif Central tomorrow the race moves into the Pyrenees mountains for three consecutive stages which are likely to eliminate more yellow jersey contenders.

Britain's Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky crashed out the race on Friday, and yesterday his teammate Juan Antonio of Flecha was one of two riders hit late in the stage by a passing television car.

Both riders survived the stage but the reaction of Dutchman Johnny Hoogerland, who was also sent spectacularly somersaulting through the air, showed maturity beyond his years.

"Nobody can be blamed for this. It's a horrible accident and I was in it. But I said to Flecha, 'We're still alive and Wouter Weylandt died in a crash'," said Hoogerland.

"I think the people in the car will have a very big guilty feeling and they will surely apologize to me and Flecha. We can still be happy that we're alive." The television car was ejected for the remainder of the race.