Cadel Evans (BMC) was unable to contend for the win in this year's Tour de France and now the veteran Australian may turn the back on the event he won in 2011. Having realized that he may never win the world's biggest bike race again, he is likely to never attend the French grand tour again, instead putting all his energies into the 2014 Giro d'Italia.

After an illness-plagued 2012 season, 2011 Tour de France Cadel Evans firmley believed that he could return to the top step of the podium this year. That wasn't to be the case. Instead, the Australian had his worst ever Tour de France and finished completely fatigued way down the GC in 39th.

That experience may have led him to the conclusion that another Tour win is now beyond his capabilities. Next year, he will turn 37 and he no longer believe that he will be able to beat his younger competitors in the most fiercely contested event in the world.

That realization is likely to mean that Evans will never return to the French grand tour. As a former winner, he doesn't like the thought of lining up without a genuine winning chance.

“I go to the Tour for winning…and that is having the commitment of the team from day one in the season, to have them behind you and working towards the Tour,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Okay, I can go to the Tour and go for stage wins, or ride for someone else; but having had the results I have had, I want to go for the win or I'd rather watch from the sidelines and put my energy into something else and go for that 100 per cent.”

That new objective could very well be the Giro d'Italia. The Italian grand tour was the scene of his breakthrough in 2002 when he grabbed the leader's jersey late in the race only to crack one day later and finish a modest 14th. This year he made a late decision to ride the Italian race in preparation of the Tour and surprised most by ending on the podium in 3rd.

“I am still not sure yet, but there is certainly a chance that 2013 might have been my last Tour, because going for another race might be on the cards next year,” he explained. “I am going to go to the Giro presentation this year to see the [2014] course. That looks like a direction to head in.

“After all the years going for the Tour, [the idea of missing it] takes a little while getting used to. But the Giro is always a race I wanted to do and do well in. It's just a matter of changing mindset and so on. So at this point, it looks like directing my energies towards a grand tour other than the Tour de France.”

At the end of this year's Tour, Evans publicly stated that he hoped to get another chance to lead the team by his BMC management. With young Tejay van Garderen also in its ranks, the American squad may have chosen to back their youngster and this is likely to have played a role in Evans' new stance.

Evans will return to competition in next week's Tour of Alberta which he will use to prepare for a strong end of the season.