Evans the Tour de France favourite, says Contador

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

MADRID (AFP) — Tour de France champion Alberto Contador of Spain has given cycling rival Cadel Evans a pre-race boost by predicting the Australian will win this year's July 5-27 race.

Contador, who recently won the Giro d'Italia despite a last-gasp invitation for his Astana team, will not defend his Tour title because Astana, who were embroiled in a number of doping cases last year while under different management, were not invited by organisers.

Contador's focus for the rest of this season is the Olympic Games' road race, but to a greater extent the Tour of Spain crown that would help him achieve the rare feat of winning three major Tours.

In the meantime he has picked Evans, a runner-up to the Spaniard by just 23secs in last year's Tour, to become the...