CADEL Evans and Lance Armstrong might be as rusty as each other in January's ProTour season-opener, the Tour Down Under, but the Australian champion yesterday tipped his seven-time Tour de France-winning rival would be a more awe-inspiring proposition in 2010 than he was this year.
While Tour Down Under organisers are overjoyed at having both Evans and Armstrong entered in the week-long stage race in Adelaide, Evans played down the prospect of either rider producing anything outstanding.
''It's fun racing against someone when they're bad and you're bad actually, so in that regard we'll probably be able to enjoy it more than at the Tour [de France],'' Evans said of the race that will likely be just the start of a meticulously planned preparation for the July Tour de France for both he and Armstrong.
By mid-2010 however, Evans forecast Armstrong, in his second season back from retirement, would be performing at a level that exceeded what he produced this year. Next year Armstrong will head up the new Radio Shack team, which he has formed after re-booting his career with Astana at the beginning of this year.
''I think we'll see Armstrong at another level in 2010,'' Evans said.
Evans' new team, BMC, only has a professional continental licence - a rung below the top ProTour level - but it was granted a wildcard entry to the Tour Down Under because of the involvement of the Australian, who became road world champion in September.
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