Cadel Evans – winner of the 2011 Tour de France, Sunday July 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena).
Cadel was the name of three Welsh kings. Today Cadel Evans is the King of France. The first Australian to win the world’s most gruelling sporting event, the Tour de France – and at 34, the oldest champion since World War II.
Last night, the Katherine-born cyclist wiped out the memories of two close seconds in 2007 and 2008 to ride down the Champs-Elyesse to be crowned, supported by the Australian national anthem, with the Australian flag draped around his shoulders.
It sent shivers up the spine.
Every one of us has jumped on a bike at some stage. But it’s hard to get your head around cycling a three-week tour of 3,430.5 kilometres over 21 stages.
With just two rest days, how these ironmen recover day after day from massive mountain climbs, battling exhaustion, injuries, and the quirks of Mother Nature with a mixture of heat, cold, and driving rain, is beyond belief.
Tough? There are none tougher.
The 2011 edition welcomed 219 starters, and with 31 withdrawals en route, the balance ended their torture last night in what has been rated one of the greatest of the Tour de France campaigns that started in 1903.
But none greater than for Cadel Evans.
In a message to Australia after claiming the yellow jersey in the penultimate stage, he said: “I hope you all enjoyed it, from where I sit it’s been good fun.”
The career high for Evans took two decades, but he’s the first to admit it was worth every painful second of the journey.
Originally a champion mountain-biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999, Evans switched to the road in 2001, at the suggestion of Phil Liggett, the television voice of world cycling.
Those two disappointing Tour de France seconds in 2007 by 23 seconds to Alberto Contador, and 2008 by 58 seconds to Carlos Sastre, led to the Evans international breakthrough in 2009 as the world road cycling champion.
Now the ultimate. So where does Cadel Evans rate among the great achievements of Australian sport?
* Right up there with the America’s Cup victory in 1983 with John Bertrand at the helm, ending 132-years of American domination, the longest winning sequence in world sport.
* Don Bradman’s 100 first-class centuries in 1947, finishing his stellar career with 117. He is still the only Australian batsman to achieve the feat, the closest Justin Langer (86), Darren Lehmann (82), Matt Hayden (79), Steve Waugh (79), and Stuart Law with 79 – all retired. Ricky Ponting leads the current Australian batsmen with 73.
* Jimmy Carruthers, the first Australian to win a world boxing title, knocking out South African Vic Towell in 1952 in Johannesburg in the first round of their bantam bout. Carruthers landed 147 punches, Towell threw one punch – that missed.
* Rod Laver’s two Grand Slams in 1962 as an amateur, and 1969 as a pro – the only two-timer in tennis history.
* Margaret Court’s Grand Slam in 1970, included in a record 24 Slam singles titles, the most on both the women’s, and men’s tour. The International Hall of Fame states: “For sheer strength of performance and accomplishment, there has never been a tennis player to match her.”
* Peter Thomson’s five British Opens – 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, and 1965 – runner-up in 1952, 1953, and 1957 – translates to four wins and three seconds in seven successive years. No other golfer is within a binocular distance of that superb record in the world’s oldest tournament.
* Dawn Fraser, the first woman to crack the one minute barrier for the 100 freestyle with 59.9 in 1962, lowered to 58.9 in 1964, a world record that stood for eight years until Shane Gould broke it with 58.5 in 1972. Dawn the only Australian to win three successive Olympic golds in the same event.
* And Herb Elliott’s sensational 1960 Rome Olympics gold medal in the 1,500 track, smashing his own world record, and winning by a still record margin of 30 metres. His time of 3.35.5 would have won six of the next eight Olympics, arguably the greatest 1,500 run in track history. Elliott retired at 23, unbeaten throughout his career over the distance, and the mile.
Thirty years ago, pioneering cyclist Phil Anderson donned Australia’s first yellow jersey after a stage win. Today Evans has worn the coveted jersey when it counts most.
“A lot of people believed in me, I believed in me – we did it.”
He did it alright – Cadel Lee Evans has joined the elite of Australian sporting heroes.
Simply magnificent.
oldie
Guest
where are you from? Spain?
JVGO
Guest
Well Amazonfan, what matters most in the world is your and Mia Freedmans feelings and opinions and your right to express them. Good on you. Let's get back to the world of holocaust survivors, surgeons, Paris Hilton's undies, dieting, sex and crazy killers. Some guy won a bike race, so what. I'm glad that's all over with. And I hope Cadel doesn't win the damn thing next year, what a distraction from the things tthat really matter that would be.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
What absolute rubbish. Can you hear yourself? My god, I didn't kill your cat, I just expressed a perfectly legitimate opinion. I don't consider Cadel Evans or most sportsmen to be heroes? Wow, what a tragedy. Considering that most of my heroes come from The Holocaust, forgive me if I don't agree that a cyclist deserves to be granted hero status. Forgive me for expressing an opinion you don't like. No, I don't consider sport to be of life-or-death importance, and I don't consider most sportspeople to be heroes, and I couldn't care less whether that offends you or not. That is my opinion, which I am entitled to, so just deal with it! Oh, and putting aside the fact that there is a massive difference between someone who saves lives (who still may not be regarded as a hero) and a professional cyclist, I doubt whether surf life savers care if people consider them to be heroes or not or if people consider sport to be of life-or-death importance (just so you know, non-competitive surf life saving isn't a sport) or not. In fact, the only person who seems to care is you. You refuse to accept that other people can have a different opinion to you, and that not everyone shares your definition on what constitutes a hero or consider sport to be of life-or-death importance. Well, it has gone beyond ridiculous, so my only response is, get over it. Finally, to quote you, "You have no right to decide for other people who their heroes are. End of story."
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Well amazonfan - the next time that you, or anyone that you know is in need of The Royal Life Saving Service, and needs their life spared from a drowning incident, be sure to remind the saviour directly that their not really a hero in your eyes - and that surf life saving, and any of the carnivals they have don't really qualify as a sport, nor is their sport of life-or-death importance.
Marcel Proust
Guest
Well, not exactly. The literal translation is "Elysian Fields". That is how it is translated into The Queen's English. The adjective "Elysian" exists in English, as does the noun Elysium. "Le Tour de France" does not mean "The Tour of France" either, but that's a different debate for a different day.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
Thanks, :D I couldn't say it better myself. :D
amazonfan
Roar Guru
I'm only speaking for myself when I say that it's not of life-or-death importance, as the last sentence in my post indicates. Yes, it is of the greatest importance to people in poorer countries, and yes, sports help numerous charitable organizations, but it still doesn't mean that sport is of life-or-death importance to me. Plus, the context in which I mentioned it was very specific. I was asked what I was 'doing subscribing to a sports website.' Well, the answer is because I love sport, however it’s not of life-or-death importance to me. I would say something similar about cinema, music, & literature as well.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
MF was only asked a question. I don't think it's fair to accuse her of jumping on the event for publicity or monetary gain.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
That's great. :D I never said that others shouldn't regard him as a hero.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Yep - I haven't been to the GC for a while - I thought that the A1 GP was still running in conjunction with the V8's - but after a google search, it appears that I'm suffering from foot in mouth disease ! It will still be a great weekend - get there if you can !
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
amazonfan - Sport means so much to multitudes of people throughout the entire globe. Sporting events bring people of different races, religions, and creed together, whom otherwise would never have had the opportunity to connect, or set foot in various locations throughout the world. You may believe that sport is not of life-or death importance, but go and tell that to the many who have fed their families and local communities in poorer countries, after achieving financial freedom through sport. Add to this the many organisations that sporting bodies support, and you just might realise that lives have been saved and changed for the better.
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
It's not a past time to the competitors in the Tour De France - in fact it's their livelihood, their passion, and an integral part of their lives. Imagine if Cadel Evans wrote an article bagging MF's heroes - making claims that they shouldn't be defined as such. Don't you think that he would then fall under the scrutiny of a large section of the public for such actions ?
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Definition: hero - …a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities… The modern usage of the word "hero" does not pertain to either idolising or the worshiping of the said person. Anyone that jumps on an event to seek publicity or monetary gain (or both), in a manner such as MF, needs a great big boot in the backside.
Big Steve
Guest
H dean. I didn't think Indy had been on the gc for a few years now. I know we tried to go I. 2009 and it's just v8's now.
Big Steve
Guest
No offnce but I think your comment about bike is crazy. You are the fist person I have ever hard who has ever implied that the bike ridden in the tour has impacted the result. Drugs maybe but the bike in today's tech age would be very similar to others considering they would all beade up of one of maybe three brands of running gear. Also in regards to people who have been proven to have taken drugs, cadel doesn't seem to exhibit the same riding traits. He doesent have any of the explosive mountain power or the unexpainable endurance. He just appeas to be a solid all round rider.
Sports fan
Guest
"Ye of little faith". Please, don't paint all TDF riders as drug cheats. Cadel has always been known as a clean skin. In my humble opinion Cadel acheived the greatest sporting feat in Australian history. By the way : Cadel= Hero. Hero Hero
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
It seems as though you need a bit more WillPower to resist in the bagging of people and events that you know little of. Indycar is massive globally, and puts events like Bathurst to shame. I suggest a trip to the Gold Coast for the Australian Indy - you may just have one of the best weekends of your life.
Rob McLean
Guest
That's a fantastic quote The Cattery.
JVGO
Guest
Sorry about all that, Amazon. It's amazing what opinions can do. Go Cadel.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
Oh, for lord's sake, do you read anything I write? At all?!! I respond to your posts, but you don't me the courtesy of actually responding to mine. You just respond to made up posts in your head. "Well I think people are correct (in semantic terms) to call him a sporting hero" You can think whatever you want, just as MF and I are free to think what we want. "and I think you are wrong to say he isn’t" I couldn't care less what you think, you are not in a position to tell me whether I am wrong or not. It is my opinion, and just because you disagree, does not mean that I am 'wrong'! Why can't you learn that your opinions are no more valuable than anyone else's? "or that they shouldn’t call him that." I never said that 'they' shouldn't call him that. Unlike you, I respect people's opinions, and unlike you, I don't pretend that my opinions are fact. Not only are you the epitome of arrogance, but you are so delusional that you think others are like you. You don't see that the only person not respecting other people's opinions here is you. My god, you even threaten me! In fact, you are no different to a child. You don't understand that people have different opinions, you're stubborn, you resort to empty threats, and you are incredibly narcissistic and self-obsessed. "If you want to call him just another guy on a bike it’s up to you to see if you can get away with it." Two comments. One, I never called him 'just another guy on a bike', I actually think he is a great athlete. See, there's a massive difference between being a sporting hero, and being 'just another guy on a bike', but of course you wouldn't know that, since you live in extremes. Second, if I did call him ' just another guy on a bike', I would absolutely get away with it, because most people are not like you and do not believe they are God. Furthermore, don't even try to threaten me. You across as the worst kind of fake-tough guy. ' it’s up to you to see if you can get away with it'? Pathetic.