by Justin Davis

NANTES, France, July 8, 2008 (AFP) – Cadel Evans was reminded of just what
it takes to win, and lose, the Tour de France after a hectic third stage here
Tuesday which saw one of his potential rivals lose 38 seconds.

On paper, Denis Menchov isn’t the Australian race favorite’s biggest
rival, that honour going to Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, who happily gave up
the yellow jersey ahead of Tuesday’s first time trial.

However, a momentary lapse of concentration on the part of the Russian, and
his orange and blue-clad Rabobank team was enough to see him drop further down
the race’s classification.

Menchov, a two-time Tour of Spain winner, found himself in a group that had
been left trailing by some furious accelerations at the front of the peloton
as they continued their futile pursuit of a four-man break.

And that left him way down the overall standings at 44secs behind Evans and
45 behind Valverde.

“I was too far behind when the peloton decided to break away. Losing 38
seconds is not my idea of what I had planned for today,” said Menchov.

“But I’m not that far behind in the general classification and I’m not
giving up hope just yet.”

Evans lost the Tour last year by just 23secs to Spaniard Alberto Contador,
who is absent from this year’s race, so he was quick to note the significance
of Menchov’s setback.

“Thirty seconds (advantage) to Menchov was the last time check I got,” said
the Australian, who nonetheless started this stage with a fall that left him
with a cut finger on his left hand.

“But when you’ve lost the Tour by 23secs, that’s important.”

Neither Valverde or Evans are likely to win the first race against the
clock, but it is in their interest to clock the fastest times possible to stay
in the mix ahead of some tricky stages in the coming days.

Switzerland’s reigning world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara, who
rides for Stuart O’Grady’s CSC team, is the pre-race favourite with Scotland’s
David Millar aiming to cause an upset.

Cancellara, who wore the yellow jersey for a week of last year’s race, is
1min 52sec behind new race leader Romain Feillu, the French sprinter who
finished third on Monday’s stage – won by compatriot Samuel Dumoulin.

Cancellara’s priority is the stage win, rather than the yellow jersey, but
Feillu – who only returned to racing in April after suffering from
toxoplasmosis earlier this season – admitted it will be a hard ask to start
Wednesday’s stage as the race leader.

“I will have to see how I recuperate tonight, and I’ve never started such
an important race with the yellow jersey on my shoulders,” said the Frenchman,
who rides for Agritubel.

“1:52 isn’t a massive advantage over a time trialler like Fabian
Cancellara.”

The starting order of the time trial is determined by a reversal of the
race’s general classification – the last-placed rider, Belgian Wim Van
Sevenant, going first.

Evans, who only has a one-second deficit to Valverde, will start ninth from
last, giving Valverde, who starts fourth from last, an arguable psychological
advantage.

Valverde, who displayed his class by punching his way to a superb victory
on the hilly finish of the first stage, on Monday showed that his team also
have tactical acumen.

While the sprinters’ teams missed the chance to catch the successful
four-man breakaway, Caisse d’Epargne kept Valverde stayed ahead of all his
yellow jersey rivals to make sure he starts behind them in the race against
the clock.

“The aim for me was to make sure I started (the time trial) behind all the
favourites, so that I will have an idea of mine and their times during the
time trial,” said Valverde.

The last time Valverde and Evans contended a major time trial over a
similar distance was at the Dauphine Libere stage race in June, where the
Spaniard beat the Australian into third place, albeit on a 31km course that
was far more undulating.