No fairytale finish needed for Cadel Evans
The race may carry his name but Cadel Evans isn’t planning for a fairytale finish when the curtain falls on his professional cycling career in Geelong in February.
By his own admission, the 174km route of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race doesn’t suit the 37-year-old’s strengths in the saddle.
But perhaps that’s the perfect farewell for a cyclist who hopes to remembered for his determination and perseverance as much as his Tour de France success.
“I’d like to be thought of as someone who gave their absolute all and did everything possible to be at my best as an athlete,” Evans said.
“If I don’t have the legs and the nous to win (in February), so be it, but I’ll be doing everything I can to put myself there at the pointy end.”
Evans, who in 2011 became the first Australian to win the Tour De France, announced his retirement plans two months ago following disappointing results at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour of Spain.
The Oakley athlete now admits falling down the pecking order at BMC Racing Team was a major contributing factor to his decision.
“I’d had enough of fighting against the current. The team (BMC) is moving on to a younger generation of riders and making some changes,” Evans said.
“Of course I could go to another team and start afresh but I had a really good relationship with BMC and to close my career with them was something I wanted to do anyway.
“Could I have made my career longer? Yes. Could I have made it better? I’m not so sure.”
A champion mountain-biker before switching to road cycling in 2000, Evans won’t be straying far from the professional racing scene post-retirement.
He already has plans to take on an ambassador and product development role with BMC.
Evans says he remains optimistic about the future of the sport despite its battered public image in the wake of recent high-profile drug scandals.
“I think our sport needed a real kick up the backside and that’s what it received,” he said.
“The sport has learned from that and it’s going to grow and improve from here.
“The beauty of cycling is and always will be there and that’s why we all keep coming back for more.”
