Overnight Cadel Evans became a household name in Australia...and indeed perhaps the world. Australians who had never before entertained the thought of riding to the shop for some milk, let alone donning lycra, are now caught up in the magic that is cycling. I have goosebumps just writing that statement, because for years cycling has struggled to gain a few centimetres ad space on the sporting pages despite Australians being hugely successful on the international cycling scene. Today we see a man in a yellow jersey grinning from ear to ear on the front pages of every newpaper in the country. The Tour de France is THAT big. Cadel's win is even bigger.
For many reading this blog you probably caught the cycling bug a long time ago and you are aware that Cadel's win is a fitting crescendo for a man who has overcome huge setbacks over the last 10 years. We have watched him grapple with the Alps, The Pyrenees and the elusive time trial many times with bad luck and little team support. This year was always going to be Cadel's year and he didn't let his supporters down. On Sunday evening (AEST) he likely gained millions more followers and hero status within sport-obsessed Australia. They know that an Aussie guy won a HUGE bike race in France and that for reasons that escape them...it is a big deal. They probably didn't endure sleep deprivation over 3 weeks watching every gripping moment of the most challenging sporting event in the world. But they now know who Cadel Evans is. He is a cyclist. Cycling is making front page news all around Australia, and for those of us who are passionate about getting more people riding more often, especially kids, Cadel's win is nothing short of a bonanza!
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cadel in his early days. Courtesy of http://rideons.files.wordpress.com |
But do people really know that much about the man who is dominating headlines around the country? Here are 12 things you may not know about Cadel Evans.
1. Evans was born in Katherine and spent his early years in the remote Bamyili community of Australia’s Northern Territory.
2. Evans has a dog called Molly who became quite famous during the 2008 Tour de France when her master was being interviewed directly after losing the yellow jersey in stage 15. When someone got to close to the little dog, the Australian shouted, “Don't stand on my dog, or I cut your head off!” (courtesy www.cyclingnews.com) Cadel turned it into a joke and subsequently made t-shirts using the slogan.
3. Evans is a passionate advocate for the Tibet movement and sponsors a Tibetan child "Tashi" whom he and his wife Chiara have visited. “Trying to bring awareness of the Tibet movement is something someone in my position can do. I just feel really sorry for them. They don’t harm anyone and they are getting their culture taken away from them. I don't want to see a repeat of what happened to Aboriginal culture [in Australia] happen to another culture.'' he’s said. (quote courtesy of www.smh.com.au).
4. Before turning to road cycling in 2001, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's mountain bike event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
5. Cadel completed the 2010 TDF with a broken elbow.
6. A biography, "Cadel Evans: Close To Flying", was published by Hardie Grant Books in November 2009.
7. Cadel's wife Chiara is Italian, a concert pianist and choral singer.
8. Cadel is an only child and much of his upbringing was in a single parent family with his mum Helen. Helen is a Bicycle Victoria member and encouraged young Cadel to ride to school, and mother and son would also ride together to the local pool. Cadel soon discovered mountain bike racing, however, and it became his passion. (Courtesy of http://rideons.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/out-riding-the-world/)
9. Cadel once rode past a friend of mine who had a flat tyre on a training ride around Kinglake. He slowed down and yelled out to see if he was OK. That's cool!
10. One of Cadel's favourite places to eat is Annie's Provedore in Barwon Heads, VIC (Cadel's residence when in Australia during the off-season). He says on his website "Nice and cozy local delicatessen and cafe', now with the best pizza too!""
11.Cadel prefers to train in silence and also needs at least an hour's "alone" time when on Tour. He also goes for a walk alone (or with Molly) every night after dinner to clear his head.
12. During the training season Cadel resides in Stabio, Switzerland. Stabio has a population of around 4500 people and approximately 23% of those are resident foreign nationals. He joins a huge number of other sporting stars and celebrities, not to mention other cyclists who also live in Switzerland including Thor Hushovd, Andreas Kloden, Jan Ullrich and Oscar Freire.
