Second-placed Evans vows 'I'll be back'
Cadel Evans claimed the highest-ever finish by an Australian in the Tour de France when he took second place behind yellow jersey winner Alberto Contador as the controversial race rolled home to Paris this morning (AEST).
Spaniard Contador held on to his 23-second lead over Evans - the second smallest winning margin on the Tour, behind Greg Lemond's eight-second win over Laurent Fignon in 1989 - to secure the fabled yellow jersey.
Evans' second place made him Australia's highest-ever finisher in the race, and came after he equalled compatriot Phil Anderson's achievement of a fifth place finish last year.
Lampre rider Daniele Bennati won the bunch sprint on the Champs-Elysees at the end of the 146km 20th stage from Marcoussis to Paris.
Norway's Thor Hushovd of Credit Agricole was second with German Erik Zabel third for the Milram team.
Once again showing his talents in the mountains and the time trials, Evans has promised he will be back to do even better.
"I think I have a pretty good idea how to ride this Tour now," said Evans, who nonetheless lamented the lack of fight shown by some teams on the 15th stage which left him unable to follow Contador and Denmark's Michael Rasmussen.
"I don't know everything, but that (15th stage) to me was where I lost the Tour de France.
"I debuted in eighth, then I came fifth and now second. I've got a good five or six years of Tour riding in front of me I think."
But after a race marred by drug scandals, Evans admitted he could never say for sure that he was not being beaten by drug cheats.
"I really don't know to be honest," he said.
Contador's Discovery Channel team-mate Levi Leipheimer of the United States was third, 31 seconds off the pace.
Contador, who on Saturday was visited by seven-time Tour winner and former Discovery Channel leader Lance Armstrong, became the first Spaniard to win the world's greatest race since Miguel Indurain's fifth victory in 1995.
"There were hard times. Saturday's time trial was very hard. I had to fight but it was worth it, it's marvellous," the Spaniard told French TV channel France 2.
"With four kilometres to go they told me Evans was 35secs behind me. I had to fight to the death to keep the jersey."
He also became the first specialist climber to prevail on the roads of France since Italian Marco Pantani in 1998.
Belgian Tom Boonen took his first green jersey for the best sprinter and Colombia's Juan Mauricio Soler won the polka-dot jersey for the best climber.
Mum 'so proud'
Cadel Evans' mother Helen Cocks says she was very proud to see her son standing on the podium after the race.
"It was odd, because you know he can do it, so you expect it in some sort of a way," she said.
"But there are so many things that can get in the way of it actually happening. Then to see him there, it is like the finalisation and yes, it is fabulous. I am so proud of him."
She put her son's win down to his determination and focus.
"[He is a] very focused person - when he sets out to do something he does it," she said.
"As a little boy he was quite scary and now as a big boy he is quite scary too. I think it is that amazing focus - I am going to do it, I am going to do it. I think that is what makes him so good.
The 94th edition of the Tour was marred by doping scandals.
Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov failed a blood doping test and was sent packing with his Astana team. The Cofidis team also pulled out of the race following Italian Cristian Moreni's positive test for testosterone.
Dane Rasmussen was sacked by his Rabobank team for lying about his training whereabouts and left the Tour when he was the race leader.
-Reuters/AFP/ABC