More freedom with new team BMC: Evans

SYDNEY: Australia's world road race cycling champion, Cadel Evans, said yesterday his switch to the American BMC team gives him the freedom to plan his own program.

Evans, a two-time runner-up in the Tour de France, in 2007 and 2008, has announced he will leave the Belgian Silence-Lotto outfit at the end of the year despite having a year to run on his deal. BMC said it had signed Evans to a three-year contract in a "partnership (that) will create mutually beneficial opportunities for both the current world champion as well as the BMC racing team."

Evans said he had confidence in the group being assembled by BMC and had been given complete freedom to plan his own program next year.