Robbie McEwen: farewell to Australia's pocket rocket

Robbie McEwen begins his final season as a professional road cyclist this week. The most explosive of Australia’s golden generation, and the first great sprinter this country has produced, McEwen’s presence in the peloton will be missed by fans around the world.

The Tour Down Under is probably the last time we’ll get to see him race in Australia, so the time seems right to talk about his outstanding career.

For Australian cycling fans, the period before McEwen came along was one of hope unburdened by expectation of victory. Neil Stephens and Stuart O’Grady had won Tour de France stages in 1997 and 1998 respectively, but in general such wins were few and far between.

McEwen changed this by winning 12 Tour de France stages and three green sprinter’s jerseys, and always in the most exhilarating fashion. He has won 24 stages in grand tours, two national road race titles, and more individual stages and races than I can count, including 12 stages at the Tour Down Under.

McEwen never really needed a lead-out train like some of his sprint rivals. Instead, he would hide in the pack, unseen by the cameras. Just when you thought he’d missed his chance, he could ghost through spaces that weren’t really there, before blasting himself into clear air and another victory, both arms held aloft.

Never shy to express an opinion (have a look for his Twitter comments on Riccardo Ricco), Robbie is not one for trite sporting clichés. The man speaks his mind, and bugger the consequences.

Let’s remind ourselves of life before Robbie. The 1990s boasted some outstanding sprinters, like the swerving, mercurial Tashkent Terror, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, winner of the Tour’s green jersey in 1991, 1993 and 1994.

Mario Cipollini won plenty of stages, but his habit of stepping into the team bus at the first sign of a hill meant the green jersey eluded him.

Germany’s Erik Zabel dominated the green jersey competition from 1996-2001. Zabel’s all-conquering train of teammates and ability to survive in the mountains gave him the edge over his rivals.

McEwen took Zabel’s green jersey in 2002 in typically emphatic fashion, winning the final stage on the Champs-Elysées to seal the win. He came second to fellow Australian Baden Cooke in 2003, and returned to win again in 2004 and 2006.

Always the entertainer, in the individual time trial up Alpe D’Huez in 2004, McEwen pulled a wheelie as he wobbled across the finish line, saluting the crowd who had cheered him up one of the Tour’s toughest climbs.

But for me, the greatest McEwen moment came in stage one of the 2007 Tour de France. A crash with 20 kilometres to go left Robbie on the floor with an injured knee. He spent the next 15 kilometres frantically chasing the peloton, supported by his teammates, and caught the tail of the main group.

Surely McEwen was done. Picking his way through the full Tour de France bunch, at nearly 60 kilometres an hour, would leave nothing for the sprint. With 200 metres to go, the commentators were calling the victory for Robbie Hunter.

McEwen launched from 15 places back. Screaming around the outside, he was a bike length clear before his rivals even knew he was there. It was too late. The two-armed victory salute had already been raised.

The commentator Paul Sherwin proclaimed that McEwen had just done the impossible, and it was hard to disagree.

What an example of fighting character, of refusal to concede, of total self-belief and outrageous talent. Watching the video on YouTube still sends a shiver down the spine.

So thanks Robbie, for the brilliant wins over a great career. Here’s hoping for a few more before you go.