Last-gasp Evans pips Contador

DEFENDING Tour de France champion Alberto Contador punched the air in celebration at the end of yesterday’s fourth stage in Brittany — despite being beaten to victory.

Spaniard Contador, racing despite being the subject of a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing next month into his failed drugs test at last year’s Tour, thought he had won the 172.5-kilometre route from Lorient to Mur-de-Bretagne, but Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) prevailed by a tyre’s width.

Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) now sits in 41st place, still one minute 42 seconds behind race leader Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) but eight seconds closer to 2009 and 2010 Tour runner-up Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek), who is ninth. Hushovd finished in the 10-man leading group alongside Evans and Contador, with Team Sky leader Bradley Wiggins six seconds behind in 11th place and his team-mate Geraint Thomas, David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) and Schleck among those two seconds further back.