7/24/11 - Cadel Evans of the BMC Racing Team confirmed his place in Tour de France history Sunday by becoming the first Australian to win the world's greatest bicycle race. Andy Schleck clinched second place as Fränk Schleck finished one step behind in third. It is the first time that two brothers have secured podium finishes at the Tour de France.

After crossing the finish line in Paris, Evans was swarmed by all eight of his teammates who completed the three-week, 3,430-kilometer race. Thirty years after fellow Australian Phil Anderson first wore the yellow jersey, Evans celebrated his first win in seven Tour de France appearances. "A few people always believed in me," Evans said. "I believed in me. And those few people and my team and the few people around me and myself are what matter most. We did it. I also have to thank all our fans, especially those who stayed up late to watch in Australia."

Evans took the lead on the penultimate day by overcoming a 57-second deficit to Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) in the 42 km individual time trial in Grenoble. Schleck finished second overall, 1:34 behind Evans's winning time of 86 hours, 12 minutes and 22 seconds. "For me personally, the real highlight of it all was the last three or four kilometers of the time trial," Evans said. "The hardest part had been done until that point and coming into that finish I knew we were on the right track so that was just incredible. For once the last four km of a time trial wasn't that hard."

With Evans's victory, George Hincapie extended his record run of being part of nine Tour de France winning teams. "I told the guys before the start today to soak up every moment, every bump, every corner, every sound you hear because it's special and something you will remember the rest of your life," Hincapie said. "From the chaos of the first week to the challenges we had during the mountains to the different tactical approaches the other teams were taking to the dramatic time trial at the end ˆ it was all very special." Hincapie previously rode with Tour de France champions Lance Armstrong (1999-2005) and Alberto Contador (2007) and has participated in a record-tying 16 Tours de France.

HTC-Highroad's Mark Cavendish crowned his first ever points jersey win in the Tour de France with a third straight victory on the Champs Elysées. The Manxman took his fifth sprint win of the 2011 race at the end of a ninety-five kilometer stage from Creteil to Paris, blasting ahead of Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway and Germany's Andre Greipel.

The first British rider ever to win the points jersey, Cavendish said afterwards there could not have been a better way to round off his battle for green than with the twentieth stage win of his career in the Tour de France.

"I finally got it, but it didn't come easy," Cavendish said, "I really had to fight for it all the way to the last finish line and I'm very tired, but it was worth all that effort.  I had eight fantastic team-mates around me all the way, they kept working with me, I was close to getting it for the last two years and now it's finally here."