Last weekend, 34-year-old Australian cyclist Cadel Evans finally won the Tour de France, after two second-place finishes and 10 years of trying to win the grand tour. A worthy winner of cycling’s greatest prize. Evans, who was Tour runner-up in 2007 and 2008, had been ruled out as winner by many this year but he climbed the top position steadily. Now, a second Grand Tour victory would be the icing on the cake of a superb career. In 1998 and 1999, he won back-to-back Mountain Bike World Cups; perhaps he can emulate that feat with back-to-back Tours.
Tour de France winner Cadel Evans sets sight on London Olympics 2012
Tour de France champion Cadel Evans insists he would love to represent Australia at the 2012 Olympics, but only if the course suits his strengths. The London Games start only days after the 2012 Tour de France, but Evans believes the timing is not a problem. The road race through London and Surrey is roughly 250km, and all competitors start together with the first rider crossing the line taking gold, while for the shorter time trial – roughly 44km – riders start 90 seconds apart, beginning and ending at Hampton Court Palace.
Evans, 34, is already a three-time Olympian having competed in mountain bike events at Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000 before switching to road. The 2009 road world champion contested both the road time-trail and road race at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing – the same year he finished second in the Tour de France.
Cadel Evans brought Tour de France victory to Australia and celebrated their first Tour de France victory after 108 years. His victory has been compared to the winning of Sailing America’s Cup when Australia brought an end to a 132-year monopoly by the United States. Cadel Evans’ Tour de France win will rightly go down as one of the finest ever sporting accomplishments by an Australian. It will also go down as one of the most improbable.
He enunciated that the victory is an outcome of great hard work and dedication by him and he has today proved the whole world that the world’s biggest race can be won by playing clean. He also became only the third non-European to have ever topped the podium in Paris after the Americans, Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. And at 34, Evans is the oldest Tour winner in 88 years. Now, Evans is on top and Australia lies third behind traditional cycling powerhouses Spain and Italy.
Tags: Australia, Cadel Evans, Cycling, London Olympics 2012, Tour de France
