Evans offered Tour Down Under wildcard

Thu, Nov 5 09:10 AM

Enlarge Photo Cadel Evans of Australia in Nazareth October 1, 2009. Australia's world road racing champion Cadel...

Australia's world road racing champion Cadel Evans will ride at next year's Tour Down Under against Lance Armstrong after his BMC Racing Team were offered a wildcard entry to the race.

Evans only recently signed for BMC Racing after winning the world title and Tour Down Under organisers were quick to offer the second-tier American team a wildcard into the Jan. 17-24 ProTour event.

Armstrong made his comeback to professional racing at this year's Tour Down Under and South Australian state premier Mike Rann said the addition of Evans was a coup for the event.

"Never before has an Australian competed on Australian soil wearing the Rainbow Jersey," Rann said in a statement.

"This may be the only chance to ever see two legends, in Lance Armstrong and Cadel Evans, compete against one another on Australian soil."

(Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Peter Rutherford. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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