Cadel Evans - Memories

pprendeville

What a career this guy has had. I'm a bit of a latecomer to the sport so don't know too much about his early days apart from him having transitioned from mtn bike and a very famous win in the mud in the Giro? Have many done that and gone on to win a GT? 2 second places in the tour before he finally won in 2011. That has been my favourite tour since getting into cycling. Voeckler doing so well for so long, Schlecks break from about 60km out and then Evans grinding away to pull back the time he needed to win it in the TT. Anyone got any other fond memories of Evans career?

bcmf

My favourite memory is him making ****e of the rest of the peloton in his Tour winning TT. Bunny hopping over potholes.
He climbed like he was stuck in a 53 11 but genuine climbers couldn't drop him.

Between Jens going and Cadel now the pro scene has lost 2 genuinely great characters.

Brian?

My abiding memory of Evans is that he seemed like a thoroughly nice guy. Never the most exciting, but ground out a lot of great victories. I was delighted when he won the Tour.

couerdelion

I remember his terrible luck in the 2012 tour when he had to stop 3 times on the decent after tacks where thrown in the road (I was secretly pleased as it gave Wiggins a chance to put time into him - but Wiggins, being the gent, slowed the peleton down and allowed him back on.

montac

I enjoyed his World Championship win back in 2009. I think everyone was marking Cancellara, who was on home soil, and Evans managed to steal a march on everyone, grinding out a huge gear and bursting a lung over the last few kms.

ednwireland

enough said

Diggabot

I wasn't a huge fan of Cadel but the way he wiped the mud off the World Champions jersey when he crossed the line on the strade bianchi stage in the 2010 Giro showed the character of the man... he had total respect for what it meant to wear the rainbow Stripes.

Brian?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pICMVTT7rIc

How not to organise a chase..

Raam

I liked his patience on the Mur de Huy to win La Fleche Wallonne

Fender76

Just read Charly Wegelius' book 'Domestique' where he talks about being signed to Lotto to help Cadel target his first tour.. 2008 I think...
Basically says he was ultra determined and focused to the point of appearing gruff and defensive.. once told a journo he'd 'cut his f*cking head off...'
Charly describes their first social meeting where the 2 riders and their wives went for dinner and Cadel brought a fancy bottle of wine and put it on the table. After a difficult dinner of awkward silences they got up to leave and Cadel brought the unopened bottle back home with him.
He is supposed to be a genuinely nice guy though...!

pprendeville

Raam wrote: »

I liked his patience on the Mur de Huy to win La Fleche Wallonne

I know I could probably look it up but is that Contador and who else behind him?

Raam

pprendeville wrote: »

I know I could probably look it up but is that Contador and who else behind him?

Rodriguez.

Fender76

Purito Rodriguez by the looks of it....

ZiabR

And Contador no? Riding for Astana at the time.

Inquitus

Most enduring memory is when he was isolated in the mountains with Schleck up the road in 2011.He had to ride the entire climb on the front with no help and managed to limit his losses sufficiently to overturn the deficit in the final TT and win the Tour. One hell of a gutsy ride that day.

Rambling Man

The way he looked a bit like Norman Wisdom

AstraMonti

I like him because he always looked "clean" from the way he was cycling. I hope he was too

Koobcam

I have a vague memory of him leading the Giro back when he had just transitioned from the MTB scene-I think it was in 2002. Also, remember him losing the tour a couple of times by pretty close margins when maybe he was favoured to win the overall in the final TT (2007 & 2008), so it was kind of nice to see him finally win in 2011. That stage where he chased down Schleck was really great, I think Cadel basically did all the chasing by himself and that pretty much won him the tour.

Decuc500

He was easily my favourite rider of the last few years.

My favourite memory was the win in La Fleche Wallonne in the World Champions jersey.

I can't help thinking he would have won a lot more if everyone was on the same level playing field.

bwalsh1983

What a day of racing that was in 2011. A complete throwback with Voeckler grimly hanging on, Schleck attacking from miles out, Evans grinding it out to secure his chance at the overall GC and the overall isolated look of the Galabier, it was superb. That day and Contadors long range attack at the 2012 Vuelta are two days of superb bike racing that stand out from the last few years of TV coverage.

Chips Lovell

Yes, he wore the Maglia Rosa for a day in 2002. Detonated on the final climb of the following stage. It was his first grand tour.



http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/al-hinds/blog/128972/retrospective-cadel-s-first-giro-d-italia

Raam

Wheel-gate.

pprendeville

Raam wrote: »

Wheel-gate.

looks like an 36 spoke wheel, now there's a rare sight in the pro peloton these days.

dave2pvd

Tour of Utah, 2014.

Evans beats Rosskopf - or, the old dog shows the new kid how its done.



Joey Rosskopf was a teammate a few years back. For a short while I was able to beat him, but only because I was 20 years older than him and he was still a junior! So you could say I was glued to the Utah feed for a few days, as Joey was doing so well.

Right after the stage, Evans commented about the Hincapie Devo rider: "I may have to go and speak with Mr. Hincapie about his future there.”

And that's what happened; Joey signed with BMC for 2015. Thanks Cadel.

MPFG

2011 Tour de France ...one of the best ....Evans never gave up....Tenacity and determination are his dominant characteristics ....He deserved that Tour and epitomises for me the best of cycling.... Some may have more panache but he had some of the greatest strenghts

pprendeville

dave2pvd wrote: »

Tour of Utah, 2014.

Evans beats Rosskopf - or, the old dog shows the new kid how its done.



Joey Rosskopf was a teammate a few years back. For a short while I was able to beat him, but only because I was 20 years older than him and he was still a junior! So you could say I was glued to the Utah feed for a few days, as Joey was doing so well.

Right after the stage, Evans commented about the Hincapie Devo rider: "I may have to go and speak with Mr. Hincapie about his future there.”

And that's what happened; Joey signed with BMC for 2015. Thanks Cadel.

Great story. Haven't heard of Mr. Roskopf. One for the future?

dave2pvd

pprendeville wrote: »

Great story. Haven't heard of Mr. Roskopf. One for the future?

Known locally as 'King Joey'. I'd say he'll go places alright.

ROK ON

"Don't stand on my dog or I'll cut your head off"

ROK ON

class act

Leroy42

Always struck me as an ungangly rider on the bike. No style. His climbing style harked back to the older days before lower gears. He always seemed to be in trouble and just about to explode.

But saying all that, he was one of the best riders of his, or perhaps given that many of his rivals were found to be doping, any era.

As has been said, determination, tenacity. Didn't come across in the media as a nice guy, but then he was a cyclist not a politician.

Huge respect for him. Amazing career in MTB and then followed that up by being a top performer across so many aspects of road.

He won't get the kudos he deserves due in part to the more flambouyant riders that were around him but for sheer talent he was amongst the very best the sport has seen.

neris

This is a good video has some of his earlier career

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=367YyCSnOWM

Raam

I love this picture of him cornering.

manwithaplan

Raam wrote: »

I love this picture of him cornering.

Probably just as well your woman in the wheelchair was looking the other way.

REBELSAFC

I will remember Cadel for putting the "Hope" back into cycling. His win at Le Tour in 2011 was the first time in a long time that I felt cycling could emerge from the doping scourge.

We can never presume EVERY cyclist is clean but Cadel's victory suggested that clean guys CAN win.

REBELSAFC

ROK ON wrote: »

"Don't stand on my dog or I'll cut your head off"

bwalsh1983

Was watching some of the 2011 Tour on the turbo this morning. Whilst the Galabier stage was a tour de force for A. Schleck and Evans dragging his group up may have been a major contributing factor to his overall GC win the stage to Gap where they dropped Schleck at the top of the final climb and on the descent, where evans stole some seconds on Contador, and all but finshed Andys chances, was phenomenal. What a ride. Whilst Andy was fannying about on the descnet and bemoaning the conditions, Evans was securing his GC victory.

Hopefully this years tour, with all the major players involved, will get somewhere near that tours excitement, it was a great year and went down to the wire.

Brian?

bwalsh1983 wrote: »

Was watching some of the 2011 Tour on the turbo this morning. Whilst the Galabier stage was a tour de force for A. Schleck and Evans dragging his group up may have been a major contributing factor to his overall GC win the stage to Gap where they dropped Schleck at the top of the final climb and on the descent, where evans stole some seconds on Contador, and all but finshed Andys chances, was phenomenal. What a ride. Whilst Andy was fannying about on the descnet and bemoaning the conditions, Evans was securing his GC victory.

Hopefully this years tour, with all the major players involved, will get somewhere near that tours excitement, it was a great year and went down to the wire.

It was the last really entertaining TdF to IMO. 12,13 and 14 were all fairly straightforward wins for Wiggins, Froome and Nibali for varying reasons.

willow46

A real gentleman and awesome racer!

Captain Havoc

I always liked Cadel, there was an honesty of effort in his riding style.

Eamonnator

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/opinion-evans-legs-did-the-anti-doping-talking

Good article about Cadel and doping.

Raam

Eamonnator wrote: »

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/opinion-evans-legs-did-the-anti-doping-talking

Good article about Cadel and doping.

They left this bit out: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/evans-confirms-fitness-test-taken-with-ferrari-in-2000

He only went for fitness tests though, obviously.

JK.BMC

Really admire Cadel; always did.

Aside from a truly brilliant World Champs win, my other favourite memory was actually when he didn't win- Giro 2010 (maybe the best GT of recent times?) on the Zoncalon, Basso spinning a 36x32 to victory but Cadel the only man to match him on the 20% pitches, but mashing the bigger gear out of the saddle for ages; pure savage determination and a true testament to the rainbow jersey, even in defeat.