Cadel Evans thanks 'guardian angels' for keeping him out of trouble, Tour bid on track Evans's Tour de France bid is still on track, staying out of trouble on a tricky sixth stage. CADEL Evans managed to stay out of trouble on a tricky stage six of the Tour de France on which Australian Simon Gerrans relinquished the yellow jersey to Orica-GreenEDGE teammate Daryl Impey. The peloton was buffeted by strong sidewinds on the small roads on the 176.5 journey from Aix-En-Provence to Montpellier with Evans finishing in the lead group after German Andre Greipel claimed his first win of the 2013 tour after a bunch sprint. Evans attempted to steal a few seconds from general classification rivals Chris Froome and Alberto Contador over the final few kilometres of the stage but was not successful. The 2011 Tour champion sits 31 seconds adrift of Impey, 23 seconds behind Froome and 17 seconds behind Contador, with BMC's poor effort in the stage four team time-trial costing him valuable time. The overall contenders' first big test will come on stage eighth when the Tour enters the Pyrenees for the first time this year. But Evans was largely happy of his form ahead of stage seven. "Everyone was nervous and attentive, but slipping in and out position for 140km is fatiguing for the head as well as the legs," Evans wrote on his website after the sixth stage. My guardian angels' did what they are so good at: keeping me in position and out of trouble. I heard that there were quite a few crashes behind, I was only caught behind when (Joaquim) Rodriguez got squeezed in and went down right at the front. No harm on my part. When things wound up for the final it was fast and judging by the gaps quite hard. In an attempt to stay out of trouble and not get in the sprinters' way, I got gapped myself - you idiot Cadel. Gerrans is the leading Australian five seconds behind Impey in third, compatriot Team Sky's Richie Porte is eighth at eight seconds, Saxo-Tinkoff's Michael Rogers in 12th at 14 seconds and Lotto-Belisol's Adam Hansen sits in 15th at 22 seconds.