Cadel Evans has a lot of firsts to his name.
In 2009, he became the first Australian to win the elite men’s title at the UCI Road World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland. Just two years later, he once again created history by becoming the first man from his country to win the prestigious Tour de France title. The rider, who won two mountain bike world cup titles in 1998 and 1999 before switching to road cycling, retired last year. Currently working as BMC Racing’s global ambassador, he is in town for the Middle East’s first UCI Road World Championships.
In a freewheeling interview, he speaks about several aspects of the sport he loves. Excerpts:
How do you look at the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016?
During all my competitive years, I have never been to Qatar. The weather seems a little hot and it is a flat race. I expect many bunch sprints to happen on Sunday, during the elite men’s road race. The conditions look excellent and anything can happen. Though riders may find the going a little tough, myself, as a spectator, is happy to see a race that is completely unpredictable.
How do you recall your historic Tour de France title triumph?
I have narrowly missed the Tour de France title twice in my career, by margins of less than one minute (23sec in 2007 and 58sec in 2008). So winning it in 2011 was one of the best moments of my life. The title was a lifelong endeavour and I made a lot of sacrifices to win it. It was only in 2011, when it all finally came together, did I realise how closely my country had been following my progress. To this day, when I go to Australia, people congratulate me for the 2011 win. Life changed overnight and I started being seen differently both inside and outside the world of cycling.
You are only one of two non-European riders to have ever won the Tour de France. What prevents non-Europeans from success at that level?
Thanks for making that point. Honestly, I had never thought of it that way. I am hoping some new non-European stars will be born at the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016. Who knows, in 15 or 20 years, some of them may go on to win Tour de France.
Cycling is fast becoming more international. When I began, the sport in Australia was little known. But now, it’s a lot better understood and followed. Its influence is growing in Asia and South America. Having said that, cycling has deep roots in Europe. Since it’s a cultural thing, adequate infrastructure has been built over the years. It isn’t so in other parts of the world. This is one reason for Europe’s dominance in the sport.
How much did your mountain biking experience help once you turned a pro rider on road?
I’m really thankful my career took the path it did because mountain biking was a great schooling experience before starting road cycling. Of course, it took me some time to transition myself from mountain biker to road racer. Once that happened, I was able to apply things I learned in the past to the road races. It led to some of my best years as a cyclist.
You were nicknamed ‘The Lung’ during your racing days…
Yes, my lungs were proven to absorb more oxygen with each breath than 99.9% of the rest of the world. I am very grateful to my father and mother for giving me those exceptional physical attributes. But obviously, there was also a lot of hard work done behind the scenes.
Is it easier now for young cyclists to break into the top than before?
The level of cycling is getting higher all the time and when that happens, cyclists have to be even more dedicated to be successful. Training has become very, very specific and even little detail gets heavily scrutinised. I see young riders having to make more commitments to the team than ever before.
After having been at the top for so long, are you enjoying retired life?
Oh yes, I’m enjoying it very much. When I attended the Press conference for the partnership deal signing between BMC Racing and Tag Heuer, I was struck by how high expectations were. I thought to myself this is something I could live without. When I used to race, I worked hard to make the most of the opportunities given to me. One day, I knew I had to end my career. During my last race, I huffed and puffed to the finish line and I was cramping hard. When I crossed that finish line, I knew I had given all there was to give to this wonderful sport. I retired a happy man.
