Evans lays down challenge to Wiggins

Cadel Evans has thrown down the gauntlet to Tour de France favourite Bradley Wiggins ahead of Monday's time trial with another combative display in Sunday's eighth stage.

Defending champion Evans was upstaged by breakaway Frenchman Thibaut Pinot, who won the mountainous 157.5-kilometre stage from Belfort to Porrentruy, but finished second ahead of Radioshack's Tony Gallopin and Team Sky's Wiggins after a late flurry that nearly unsettled the Briton.

Wiggins maintains the race leader's yellow jersey with the same ten-second gap to Evans but was seriously challenged for the second time in this stage heading into the 41.5km time trial from Arc-et-Senans to Besancon on Monday.

"Tomorrow is a test of truth and each, with their own two legs, and the possibility of things being turned upside down," a confident Evans said.

"Tomorrow might turn everything around.

"Opportunities don't come (often) in this line of work, so when they come you have to grab them by the neck and go with it," he said of his bold surge in Porrentruy.

Pinot clinched the stage by 26 seconds from Australian Evans, who appeared to have shaken Wiggins along with Lotto-Belisol's Jurgen van den Broeck some 1400m from the finish, before Liquigas' Vicenzo Nibali worked with the Sky rider to close the gap.

After heavy crashes marred the opening seven stages, Evans said the teams leaders did not have the usual level of support, as showcased by the selective group of general classification rivals in the final chasing group.

"It's a different situation to years gone by - people are isolated, a lot of the leaders are isolated," he said.

"Especially guys like van den Broeck or maybe (Movistar's Alejandro) Valverde, who have already lost time, they don't have anything to lose.

"So they're much more willing to put it out there."

The second mountainous stage at this year's Tour, which contained 40km of climbing among six ascents, appeared to have taken its toll on Wiggins, who was surprised by its difficulty.

"That stage was a lot harder than I expected it to be," Wiggins said.

"I was surprised again at the size of the group going over that last climb but I was there again with (Chris) Froome so it was a good day again for the team.

"The boys were incredible again today and really marshalled the race. They set us up to be able to go with the others on that last climb.

"Early on we had to wait to let the right break go, and that took a long time and a lot of work.

"We were racing from the off and that didn't stop for two hours really. The peloton was decimated and it was a tough day for a lot of people.

"We're still in a fantastic position after this first week and that's two tough days down now. We've got a time trial ahead of us now and then a rest day."

Wiggins is one of the most accomplished time triallists at this year's Tour de France and edged Evans by 10 seconds to take the opening 6.4-km prologue in Liege.

More tellingly, the Briton comfortably beat Evans by one minute and 43 seconds over a similar distance to the coming time trial at the Criterium du Dauphine, which he won in June.