Australian Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans narrowly missed out on a medal at the individual time trial event at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday afternoon.Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara powered his way to his second Olympic medal in four days, beating Sweden's Gustav Larsson to take the gold.
Evans was the fifth-fastest rider over the 47.3-kilometres course, finishing in 1 hour, 3:34.07.
Fellow Australian Michael Rogers (1:04:46.85) finished eighth.
Cancellara, who surprised himself with the bronze in the men's road race under sweltering conditions on Saturday, pumped his arm as he crossed the finish line.
He then staggered off his bicycle and collapsed along some barriers while trainers poured water over him.
"It would take much more than 50 kilometres to realise what I did," Cancellara said.
In the first half of the race, the powerful Swiss time trial specialist kept switching leads with Spain's Alberto Contador. But Contador dropped off in the final lap and finished fourth.
"In the situation I was in, not being able to do the Tour de France, I was really motivated," said Leipheimer, whose Astana team was barred from the Tour because of doping scandals that took place before he joined the team.
"I worked very hard for this and it paid off. I pictured myself on the top step but this is brilliant," he said.
In the time trial, the men completed two laps of a hilly circuit between two sections of the Great Wall of China.
- ABC/Reuters
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