Mumbai – Australian Cadel Evans will get the nod ahead of American Tejay van Garderen as BMC Racing's number one rider at the Tour de France, team president Jim Ochowicz said.
Evans, the first Australian to win the Tour in 2011, was blown away by Briton Bradley Wiggins last year and finished seventh behind van Garderen, who took fifth place and was the best young rider on the Tour.
The 36-year-old Evans, however, has recovered well and is in second spot overall in the ongoing Giro d'Italia, which proves his worth, Ochowicz said.
“It (Evans' Giro performance) solidifies that - you have to have the confidence and he does,” Ochowicz told Fairfax Media.
“This is a great performance here.
“Tejay is a great young athlete coming up (and) he is learning from Cadel.”
This year's Tour will start in Corsica on June 29 and is expected to suit pure climbers. – Reuters