Britain's new Team Sky has emerged as a likely home for Australian cycling star Cadel Evans in his Tour de France title quest after he opted to quit Silence-Lotto.
The Belgium-based team announced Evans's departure yesterday after five years which yielded two Tour de France runner-up finishes, saying he would exercise a leave clause in his contract.
He has been linked to the British Sky TV-backed team which has Australian Scott Sunderland as sporting director and two Australians Simon Gerrans and Chris Sutton among 19 riders signed so far.
It's believed Evans's relationship with Silence-Lotto soured in the wake of his poor Tour de France in July when he finished a distant 30th, with little support from teammates.
And he's in a strong position to capitalise on his status as road race world champion following his triumph in Medrisio, Switzerland in September to seek a stronger team which can better assist him on the multi-stage classics.
Silence-Lotto manager Marc Sergeant said his team had been informed by Evans's manager of his intention to leave shortly after the 32-year-old arrived in Australia last week to promote his new book.
Team Sky will begin life on the ProTour next year, starting in Adelaide at the Tour Down Under, having been set up with the aim of producing a British winner of the Tour de France within five years.
As to who will take over from Evans as team leader at Silence-Lotto, Sergeant rather hopefully threw up the name of reigning and two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador.
''Whether this [Evans's departure] will cause us to have a difficult tour? That is possible, but it remains to be seen,'' Sergeant said. ''We can now ride for Jurgen Van den Broeck, but we also have to look at who else is on the market. Contador? I read that four teams interested. Why not five teams now?'' AAP