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Cadel Evans fought back tears after answering his knockers with a storming victory to become Australia’s first professional cycling road race world champion.
The gritty Australian shed more of his Tour de France frustrations as he blew his rivals away with a solo break at the foot of the final climb to claim the coveted rainbow jersey in the 262.2km race in Switzerland.
“It’s an answer to those criticisms that I’ve had, saying I never attack,” said an emotional Evans, who lives near the finish line in Mendrisio.
“The world’s been telling me for years I can’t win big races, can’t win one day races, because my job is to win stage races, and then today I come out and win the world championship, I don’t quite believe it.”
Evans believed it on Monday when he awoke to see the rainbow jersey, a piece of clothing that turned his season around and can change his future.
“It’s hanging on the wall because my wife and I didn’t believe I’d won it,” Evans said.
“We thought, `if we wake up in the morning and it’s still there, it’s true.'”
Evans said while winning the title came easier than his two second placings at the Tour de France in 2007 and 2008, riding in the rainbow jersey would probably bring more prestige.
Evans said his controversial decision not to ride this year’s Giro d’Italia was based on his desire to win the world title.
He copped plenty of criticism over his worst ever result in the Tour de France (30th) during a campaign fraught with suggestions of political problems.
His Belgian team, Silence-Lotto, said they would look to groom Jurgen Van den Broeck as a future yellow jersey contender.
But, as world champion, Evans has done all he can to cement himself as the team’s focal point for 2010.
Evans salvaged his season with third overall in the Tour of Spain a week ago, despite a puncture on the 13th stage and botched wheel change he believes probably cost him victory.
“My chance to win the Vuelta was possibly Australia’s best chance to win a grand tour and it’s probably something I’m going to regret for a long time,” Evans said.
“Winning the rainbow jersey was the only thing that could have happened for me to come out of the year and say I had a good season.”
Evans did well to join a nine-man breakaway led by time trial champion and Swiss favourite Fabian Cancellara and then launched his own attack at the foot of the Novazzano climb to win in six hours, 56 minutes and 26 seconds.
Russian Alexandr Kolobnev took silver and Joaquin Rodriguez of Spain finished third, both 27 seconds behind Evans whose compatriot Simon Gerrans was 10th.
Alejandro Valverde of Spain finished nearly a minute off the pace, as did another race favourite, Italy’s Damiano Cunego, who praised Evans.
“I think he answered all those people who say he can’t win. I am happy for him,” Cunego said.
Robbie McEwen is Australia’s only other medallist in the history of the elite men’s road race – he was runner-up to Italy’s Mario Cipollini in 2002.
Australian Jack Hoobin won the amateur title in 1950.
Michael Rogers, an instrumental part of this year’s road race team, is a triple time trial world champion.
Australia topped the medal table as the only nation to claim two titles after Jack Bobridge won the under-23 time trial last week.
Evans can defend his title on home soil when Melbourne and Geelong host the 2010 world championships on roads he also knows well.
But the 32-year-old, who spends part of the year at Barwon Heads, near Geelong, believes the Swiss course suited him better than next year’s circuit.
“Golly what a weekend for Geelong,” said Evans, a fan of the 2009 AFL Premiers.
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