Cadel Evans is a former professional racing cyclist from Australia who won the 2011 Tour de France. He is a four-time Olympian and the first Australian to win both the UCI ProTour and the UCI Road World Championships. He is one of the most successful professional cyclists to emerge from Australia in recent years. In 2011, he eventually won the Tour de France in a thrilling finish in which Andy Schleck placed second. On two previous occasions, he had finished second and was tantalizingly close to victory. Evans began his career as a mountain cyclist for the Diamondback MTB team, where he won the World Cup in 1998 and 1999. Eventually, he became a professional road cyclist for teams including Saeco, Mapei, and Team Telekom. Aldo Sassi, his coach in Mapei, assisted him in making the transition from mountain riding to road cycling. He quickly established himself as a road cycling champion as well, winning the Tour of Austria twice and the mountains classification in the 2006 Tour Down Under. His 2011 Tour de France victory, which made him the first Australian to win the race, was unquestionably the pinnacle of his spectacular career.
Youth and Early Life
Cadel Evans was born in Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia, on February 14, 1977, to Helen, a bank manager, and Paul Evans, a council foreman.
In 1986, after his parents’ divorce, he moved in with his mother. As a teenager, he attended Newling Public School in Armidale and Eltham High School in Melbourne, and he became interested in skateboarding.
He attended the Australian Institute of Sport on a scholarship, where he participated in the mountain biking (MTB) Program.
Cadel Evans’s Career
Cadel Evans began his international career in 1995 with the Australian Institute of Sport (MTB) Program. He earned bronze medals at the Junior World Mountain Bike Championship in 1995 and the Junior World Road Time Trial Championship in 1995.
As a mountain cyclist, he achieved great success, winning the cross-country event of the Mountain Bike World Cup in 1998 and 1999.
In 2001, following his success as a champion mountain biker, he switched to road cycling full time. In the beginning, he rode for teams including Saeco (2001), Mapei (2002), and Team Telekom (2003–2004).
He won the Tour de Romandie in 2006, defeating Alberto Contador Velasco and Alejandro Valverde in the final stage.
He nearly won the 2007 Tour de France but finished second behind Contador. He placed fifth in the world championship and sixth in the last UCI ProTour race in the same year.
2008 was a wonderful year for him, and he became one of the most successful cyclists in the nation. He was a favorite to win the 2008 Tour de France, but Carlos Sastre ultimately took the championship. In addition, he competed in the men’s 245 km road race at the Beijing Olympics.
The lack of team assistance and his own poor form greatly hindered his performance in the 2009 Tour de France, and he could only manage to finish in 30th place. Nonetheless, he was able to win the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali in 2009.
In 2011, he eventually realized his lifelong dream by becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France. This victory was not just a significant milestone in his own professional career, but also a landmark in the history of Australian sports.
Cadel Evans won the 2. HC Critérium International, a three-stage race held in March 2012, in the overall classification. He hoped to duplicate his triumph from the previous year at the 2012 Tour de France, but he lost time throughout the race and finished in the sixth position.
He competed in the inaugural Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in February 2015 and finished sixth. After the race, he made his retirement announcement. He is the Global Ambassador for the BMC Racing team now.
Cadel’s Major Effort
This outstanding cyclist’s triumph at the 2011 Tour de France is one of the finest athletic exploits ever accomplished by an Australian. After gaining the lead in a time trial on a penultimate day, Cadel Evans went on to win the thrilling race. At 34 years old at the time of his victory, he became the oldest post-war victor.
Awards & Achievements
He was named the Australian Cyclist of the Year on three separate occasions: in 2006, 2007, and 2009.
The Sydney Morning Herald’s 2007 Sports Performer of the Year is Cadel Evans.
This outstanding cyclist’s triumph at the 2011 Tour de France is one of the finest athletic exploits ever accomplished by an Australian. After gaining the lead in a time trial on a penultimate day, Cadel Evans went on to win the thrilling race.
At 34 years old at the time of his victory, he became the oldest post-war victor.
On 10 June 2013, he was awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia.
Personal History and Legacy
In 2002, he met Chiara Passerini, an Italian pianist and music instructor. Eventually, the couple wed and adopted a baby boy.
In his honor, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, an annual professional one-day road bicycle race for men and women, was created. He finished fifth in the inaugural event he entered.
Estimated Net Worth
The net worth of Australian professional racing cyclist Cadel Evans is $8 million. As the winner of the 2011 Tour de France and a former champion mountain biker who won the World Cup in 1998 and 1999, Cadel Evans has earned his wealth. In addition, he placed ninth in the men’s cross-country mountain biking event at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics.
Trivia
When he was selected The Sydney Morning Herald’s 2007 Sports Performer of the Year, he was awarded a cash prize of $50,000. He promised to contribute the award money to organizations, such as the Amy Gillett Foundation and Ian Thorpe’s Fountain for Youth.