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Golden Goose Sneakers coast
 Friday, June 7th 2019, 6:36 AM;  235;  0;  +0 | 0 | -0
Evans finishes second in Golden Goose Sneakers www.goldengooseshoesit.com Tour opener
Australian cyclist Cadel Evans has narrowly missed out on winning the opening stage of the Tour de France, finishing second to Belgian, Philipe Gilbert.
This year's Tour de France has done away with its traditional short prologue time trial, instead opting for a 190-kilometre first stage along the Vendee coast of northern France.
The track has an uphill finish tailor-made for new champion Gilbert.
No-one could match the 28-year-old's trademark acceleration in the final few-hundred metres of the two-kilometre climb.
Evans says he is happy with his form and team's help after finishing runner-up, three seconds adrift with Thor Hushovd www.goldengooseshoesit.com a further six seconds behind him.
"I just left my run a little bit too late, but really good signs and great work by these guys," he said.
"It was a good day today. I would have loved to win this stage because you only have chances like this every now and then but it's not easy.
"What better way to finish the day than by making gaps over your rivals?"
The 34-year-old is now just three seconds off the race lead and is a real chance to pull on the yellow jersey after tonight's 23-kilometre team time trial.
Evans' main rivals for the yellow jersey, Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck, both lost a minute and twenty seconds after being caught-up in a massive crash triggered when a cyclist hit a spectator.
Nine kilometres from the finish line, Kazakh Maxim Iglinskiy rode into a spectator on the roadside and crashed, halting more than half of the main pack.
The spectator was unhurt.
While some 40 riders who had already passed the spot were left to battle for stage victory, Contador was stuck in the delayed half of the peloton.
"In today's cycling, races are won and lost by seconds and it is going to take some time to make up for the 1:15 I lost to the other favourites," said Contador.
"It's one of these unfortunate accidents that often occur at the beginning of the Tour de France," Contador's Saxo Bank team manager Bjarne Riis said.
"Alberto is simply unlucky now to be behind some of his opponents for the overall victory, but the Tour has just begun and luckily there is a long way to Paris from here."
Second crash
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