Cadel Evans will not compete again the remainder of the 2012 season in order to rest a sore right knee that forced his withdrawal from the USA Pro Challenge last month, the BMC Racing Team announced Tuesday.
Doctor’s Assessment
BMC Racing Team Chief Medical Officer Dr. Max Testa said testing done last week on the 2011 Tour de France champion revealed no damage to his knee and no lingering signs of what was thought to have been an off-and-on low grade infection. “But considering there are so few races left, and with his current level of fitness, the medical staff and management decided to make this the end of his season,” Dr. Testa said.
Rest And Recovery
Evans said while he is disappointed he will not be able to compete in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec City and Montréal races Friday and Sunday as he had originally planned, he is looking forward to the extra free time with his family. “I’m disappointed surely, but in the end, there’s nothing I can do,” he said. “I wanted to come back and race this year but it could possibly compromise my 2013. At this point, we can’t afford to do that. So I’ll completely recover and do what I can to be back to my normal level next year.”
‘Wise Decision To Stop’
BMC Racing Team Directeur Sportif John Lelangue agreed with Evans’s outlook. “We want for him to be competitive in 2013,” he said. “There is only the world championships and the Tour of Lombardia as big races where he could have been one of the favorites. But you have to be 100 percent for those races and with his actual state now, it’s a wise decision to stop now and totally rest and recover and then rebuild for next season.”
Results Included 19 Top 10s
In 2012, Evans won Critérium International and finished third at the Critérium du Dauphiné before placing seventh at the Tour de France his sixth top 10 finish at the race in eight appearances. His results include a team-best 19 top 10 finishes one of them a stage win at Critérium International and the points classification title at the Dauphiné. He competed for Australia in the road race at the Olympic Games (finishing 80th) and raced the first five days of the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado before withdrawing halfway through Stage 6.
