Robbie McEwen has to go it alone

The Tour de France 2008 runs from July 5 -27 covering 21 stages across France, with a quick visit to Italy.

Fresh from a stage win at the Tour de Suisse, Robbie McEwen's annual battle for the Tour de France green jersey has tempered by compatriot and team-mate Cadel Evans.

McEwen celebrates his Tour de Suisse stage win - Pic fotoreporter sirotti

Evans became Australia's highest ever finisher on the Tour when he was runner-up to yellow jersey champion Alberto Contador of Spain in 2007. Since Contador and his Astana team have not been invited back to this year's race, Evans now leads a small list of favourites ahead of recent Dauphine Libere champion Alejandro Valverde of Spain.

With the Belgian Silence team finally realising the yellow jersey is well within their grasp, the ambitions of McEwen, a regular stage winner and challenger for the points classification's green jersey, have been sidelined.

Pushed somehat into the shade and instead of relying on team members to carry him in on their back wheels ahead of the hectic sprint finishes, McEwen will have to do it all by himself.

But as agile as he is, the Belgium-based Aussie admits the lack of team support has all but scuppered his bid for the green jersey. "If I happen to get it (green jersey) from getting good results in the sprints, then good, and I would try and defend it as best as I could," said McEwen.

"But I realise that with the composition of our team that I can't use up the whole team in a tactical chase because everyone needs to be saved just in case Cadel takes the yellow jersey."

"I haven't made a big goal of the green jersey. To win green, it does take a big effort."

He admitted he may have found new uses for team-mates Leif Hoste and Greg Van Avermaet, both of whom proved very useful prior to his final dash on Monday.

"I'm happy when I get support like that from my teammates, it's even better when I can repay them," he added. The only problem is that Van Avermaet will not be at the Tour - another disappointment for McEwen.

"I would have liked to see Greg in the Tour, physically and mentally he would be capable of it," he added.

"But the decision was made a while ago, and of course with Cadel ... he's shown in the Dauphine (finished second) that he's ready for the Tour and that's the choice that's been made and I've known that since the end of last year's Tour. That's something I've come to live with "..

"I'll have to be doing it on my own in the Tour. I don't have a specific lead-out man for the sprint, so I'm going to have to find my own way. Hopefully I'll try to treat the other sprint trains like my own train."