Before Cadel Evans was a Tour de France champion, he was a dual Commonwealth Games medallist
BEFORE Cadel Evans was a Tour de France champion, he was a dual Commonwealth Games medallist. The cycling champion looks back on the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.
IT WAS the Commonwealth Games that quite literally put Cadel Evans on the road to the Tour de France.
Prior to 2002, Evans was a force in mountain biking on the world stage and yet to seriously test his credentials as a road rider.
He’d won mountain bike world cups in 1998 and 1999 and finished seventh in the men’s mountain bike race at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
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He switched to the road in 2001 so Manchester was his first major Games as a road cyclist and he couldn’t have been more impressive, winning gold in the time trial and silver in the road race.
“I was practically a neo-pro (first-year professional) on the road in 2002 so to perform there helped things for the future,” Evans said.
“It was also my only Commonwealth Games that I could participate in and I really liked the relaxed atmosphere there.
“As a team we were very strong running 1-2-3 in the road race and I had one of my best time trials there which remains a memorable performance on a personal level.”
Evans also led an Australian clean sweep of the podium in the time trial by beating compatriots Michael Rogers and Nathan O’Neill for gold, while he was second behind Stuart O’Grady and on the podium with Baden Cooke in the road race.
“Funny looking back at England’s performance there then compared to now, I remember a headline in Cycling Weekly - an English publication - that read ‘Money buys medals in Manchester’,” Evans said.
“British Cycling then replicated and improved on the Australian high performance program to get where they are today.”
Evans, now 41, went on to become Australia’s greatest ever road cyclist by winning the UCI road world championship in 2009 and the Tour de France in 2011. He remains the only Australian to win either of them.
He would also win stage races including the Tour of Romandie, Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of Austria and Criterium International before retiring in 2015.
But the Manchester Commonwealth Games medals always held a special place in his heart.
“The medals I got framed and with the jersey and TT skin suit, I gave one each to my grandfather who was a time triallist,” he said.
“The road silver hung in my grandmother’s house until she passed away a few months ago.
“Both my grandparents were very proud to have the medals there and they are both with family now.
“I like to think that I was a versatile rider that could win a range of races, and fortunately I could include the Commonwealth Games in that range of races.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au
Originally published as Before Cadel Evans was a Tour de France champion, he was a dual Commonwealth Games medallist
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