“There have been cheaters in the past, and there always will be,” he said. “But there are people who work silently, with honesty, and who are outside of all these controversies.”
Sastre is poised to become the third successive Spaniard to win the Tour: Alberto Contador won last year and wasn’t allowed to defend the title, and Oscar Pereiro inherited the 2006 title that Floyd Landis of the US lost in a doping scandal.
Evans was second last year, 23 seconds behind Contador.
On Saturday, Schumacher clocked 1 hour, 3 minutes, 50 seconds, and CSC rider Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland was 21 seconds back.
Kim Kirchen was third, 1:01 behind. Sastre was 12th, 2:34 back.
Evans was regarded as a stage favorite: He placed second in two Tour time trials last year that were about the same length. But on Saturday, he finished seventh, 2:05 behind the German.
“I will be back next year,” the 31-year-old Evans said. “I think I have three or four good Tours left in me.”
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