Knee injury ends cyclist Evans' Amstel campaign (AFP)

PARIS (AFP) – Australian Cadel Evans will miss the Ardennes Classics campaign, beginning on Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race, due to a knee injury he suffered in a training ride crash at the end of March.
The BMC rider, a former two-time runner-up in the Tour de France who was crowned world champion in 2009, had been hoping to race Amstel and follow up with the defence of his Fleche Wallonne crown on Wednesday.
Evans, however, has been ruled out of both races after an MRI scan revealed a small bruise on the knee bone that requires at least five days to heal, according to BMC's chief medical officer, Dr Max Testa.
"From a medical standpoint, he's out of competition for at least the next five days," Testa said.
"Keeping him out longer will help the ultimate injury outcome and also give him time to get training to return on the top end."
Evans said he was disappointed not to be participating in the Ardennes classics.
"Normally, I thought I'd be back by now, but I had a check-up on Tuesday and the injury has proven to be more of an obstacle than we first thought," he said.
"I had wanted to be a helper for Greg Van Avermaet at Amstel Gold and on a good level for Fleche Wallonne. But this won't be a long-term problem, especially for my preparation for the Tour (de France).
"It's just a little hiccup along the way."
The Ardnennes Classics also include Liege-Bastogne-Liege, which is held on April 24.
Evans had a comparatively late start to the season, but that did not hinder the 34-year-old Australian when he took overall victory in the Italian stage race Tirreno-Adriatico in early March.
His big objective this year remains the Tour de France, where Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, Italian Ivan Basso and Spain's three-time and reigning champion Alberto Contador will be among his big rivals for the yellow jersey.

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