Cycling: Best yet to come - Evans

Cadel Evans is confident his best still lies ahead after another near miss as he chases his dream of becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France.

The 31-year-old finished runner-up for the second year in a row in Paris today, this time behind Spaniard Carlos Sastre.

"So far my Tour de France has been a four-year plan and I think I've got three or four more good Tours left in me," Evans said.

"I'm not going to give up now. I think I'm just coming into my best years now."

Evans finished eighth in his first Tour in 2005 and fourth the following year.

He was second behind another Spaniard, Alberto Contador, in 2007.

Evans was the favourite this year but his Silence-Lotto team struggled against the collective power of Sastre's CSC outfit, which included Australian Stuart O'Grady, who described riding down the Champs Elysees as part of the winning team as an "incredible feeling".

"I've come into Paris a lot of times before and it's such a huge feeling of accomplishment but coming in with the winning team and the yellow jersey, it's the next level," O'Grady told AAP.

"I'm never going to win the Tour personally so the next best thing is to be a part of someone and a team that can win it."

Sastre overtook the yellow jersey by winning the toughest Alpine ride this year - stage 17 into the famed Alpe d'Huez - and held onto to it to the finish.

While Evans made up seven seconds on his Spanish rival during the processional 143km last stage into Paris, the Spaniard ended up with a 58-second margin of victory.

Bernhard Kohl of Austria finished 1:13 back overall in third - the second tightest podium finish in the 105-year-old race.

Sastre had all but secured his win a day earlier in the final time trial by holding off Evans, who needed to make up 1:34 but only managed to close the gap to 1:05.

O'Grady recognised there was a lot of pressure on Evans this year.

"Everyone just expected Cadel to win and the only thing he could do was lose the Tour," O'Grady said.

"I feel for him, I think he did a fantastic race but I think he did have a weaker team in the end.

"Winning the Tour de France depends a lot on your team and we definitely had strength in numbers."

Evans said: "I rode a good race, I gave everything, 110 percent of what I had in my legs I got onto the road and onto the results board but obviously it wasn't good enough."

He was still feeling the effects of a crash on July 14, which could have contributed to his inability to overhaul Sastre during the penultimate stage.

Now he must allow his tired, aching body to recover before representing Australia at the Olympics, which start in Beijing on August 8.

But Evans wasn't ready to focus on the Games, or next year's Tour, so soon after finishing the gruelling 3,559km race.

"I'll try and make my plane tomorrow and then we'll worry about those things," Evans said.

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