Cadel Evans Discussion Thread

[Gloin22]

Well, the headline says ''Cadel Evans to retire after 2015 Tour Down Under''

So to answer your question, it's hard to really understand the gist of that article, but it does appear he may be retiring after TdU.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Would he retire if he gets the rainbow jersey again?

 

[icefire]

Would he retire if he gets the rainbow jersey again?

He'll make his best effort not to do a Zoetemelk

 

[auscyclefan94]

Sad news, but not unexpected. I hope to see him in his last race next year, but let's wait and see. Australian media very slow to react (as usual).

Best to react once a formal announcement has been made imo.

 

[The Hitch]

Fitting that he will retire at the same race one of his heros chose for his own retirement 4 years earlier.

 

[movingtarget]

Would he retire if he gets the rainbow jersey again?

Yes. That would be the best way to go out. Evans is a GC rider and he can't compete with the best anymore. His disappointment after the Giro said it all. He was happy with his prep and did not suffer the crashes others had, but struggled. At 37 the slide will only continue but I enjoyed following his career. How long until another Aussie GT winner comes along ? Could be waiting a while unless Porte gets his act together and does what many believe he can't do.

 

[Cookster15]

I've followed Evans road career since the 1999 Tour of Tasmania and his win atop Mt Wellington - while still a Mountain Biker. After following the sport since the early 90's with the best I could hope for was stage wins with O'Grady or McEwen it was great to finally have an Aussie to cheer for with genuine Grand Tour GC ambitions.

With his GT potential confirmed at the 2002 Giro I had to wait a bit longer than I hoped for that Tour win but was worth the wait. I think he has chosen the right time to retire. Gee if he can snag another Rainbow jersey that would be amazing but if not he can still be well satisfied. Chapeau Cadel !

 

[hrotha]

I get that he's an Aussie and all that, but retiring after the TDU never made any sense to me. Spend one last winter/summer training and making sacrifices like not eating whatever you want on Christmas, and then only use that form in one race? Yeah, not a good deal.

 

[cineteq]

Evans can still win 1-week races. Then again, I think his retirement has to do more with wife and kid.

 

[trevim]

I get that he's an Aussie and all that, but retiring after the TDU never made any sense to me. Spend one last winter/summer training and making sacrifices like not eating whatever you want on Christmas, and then only use that form in one race? Yeah, not a good deal.

You're assuming he'll show up in truely good shape. Maybe he'll just ride along one last time.

 

[hrotha]

You're assuming he'll show up in truely good shape. Maybe he'll just ride along one last time.

Well yeah but I doubt he'll show up in Betancur form either.

 

[del1962]

I get that he's an Aussie and all that, but retiring after the TDU never made any sense to me. Spend one last winter/summer training and making sacrifices like not eating whatever you want on Christmas, and then only use that form in one race? Yeah, not a good deal.

Depends if he is trying to be competative or it is just some sort of farewell to his fans though.

 

[movingtarget]

I get that he's an Aussie and all that, but retiring after the TDU never made any sense to me. Spend one last winter/summer training and making sacrifices like not eating whatever you want on Christmas, and then only use that form in one race? Yeah, not a good deal.

Evans is always active in the off season as we saw in the last TDU. He will be in shape. The new race in his own name after the TDU will probably be his last race. He will turn out for the fans. I guess it makes it easier for his team finishing when he does and they have rewarded him with a job so I guess it's a bit of give and take. Frees up some dollars for BMC to look for some GC talent to help TJVG and a quality sprinter which BMC lack. The crowds at the TDU and the new one day race should be big and it's Evans way of thanking his long term Aussie fans I would think.

 

[greenedge]

Depends if he is trying to be competative or it is just some sort of farewell to his fans though.

I guess he'll be raring to win, at the TDU and Nats.

 

[thrawn]

Cadel to retire after Australian races next year - http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling...from-cycling-in-february-20140926-10m94g.html

 

[auscyclefan94]

A bit of a shame but a great career. Probably was unlucky not to win a few more big races but such is life. I will be lucky enough to see him race in his swansong around Barwon Heads.

 

[trevim]

A bit of a shame but a great career. Probably was unlucky not to win a few more big races but such is life. I will be lucky enough to see him race in his swansong around Barwon Heads.

Yeah I think he lacks a bit in the classics department: he had the quality to win Lombardia or Liege and those would look great on his record. Great career though.

 

[cineteq]

Cadel to retire after Australian races next year - http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling...from-cycling-in-february-20140926-10m94g.html

Epic!
"Evans' Tour de France win was secured on Stage 18. Following a long-range attack from Andy Schleck, a magnificent Evans single-handedly dragged the chasers up the Col de Galibier"

 

[Archibald]

Yeah I think he lacks a bit in the classics department: he had the quality to win Lombardia or Liege and those would look great on his record. Great career though.

Always felt he should have a better GT palmares though. To have less GTs than Menchov seems wrong...

 

[darwin553]

Nice touch to finish up at the TDU. Great career though.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Evans can still win 1-week races. Then again, I think his retirement has to do more with wife and kid.

1-week races was all he ever won as a stage racer

You're assuming he'll show up in truely good shape. Maybe he'll just ride along one last time.

Cadel doesn't do that. He always likes to get involved. In front of his home fans I can't possibly imagine that he would just do a lap of honour waving to the crowd. Even if he has no form whatsoever he will try to do well.

A bit of a shame but a great career. Probably was unlucky not to win a few more big races but such is life. I will be lucky enough to see him race in his swansong around Barwon Heads.

For much of it a lot of it was his own fault, I always thought he'd wasted his big chance to win the Tour in 2008. When he finally came out of his shell I thought it was just too late to capitalize on his peak years, but he did just have enough time left to win the big one. He has gone about accumulating the palmarès that his talent level should deserve, and in winning the Tour and the Worlds he joins a very compelling group of riders at the pinnacle of the sport.

Mendrisio was absolutely the turning point. A really good race won in a gutsy ride that many fans did not believe he had in him. Until then he had a great palmarès of placements but precious few wins, and it seemed like he was too timid a racer to grab those wins. That all changed in Mendrisio. Maybe the news that the team favoured racing for Gerrans (which was absolutely the wrong decision, especially in 2009) sparked something, but he was not the same racer after that.

Always felt he should have a better GT palmares though. To have less GTs than Menchov seems wrong...

Until 2011 that was always the debate, who was the best between the two. Evans was the better rider on paper, but Menchov had actually got the wins.

 

[movingtarget]

In 2008 Evans was up against a very strong CSC team with three candidates for victory in both Schlecks and Sastre. I think Evans fall really cost him and the fact that it was almost impossible for him to cover all the attacks in the mountains from CSC. I still thought he could win the race in the final TT and was surprised with Sastre's TT performance and Evan's mediocre one by his standards. Sastre simply finished the fresher after sitting in the pack for the entire race and making one attack on the Alpe where he gained enough time. Evans had a much tougher race. Tactically CSC held all the cards and Evans reacted too late to Sastre's attack because he feared counterattacks from the Schlecks and when he did chase the time gap did not reduce by much.

I think 2007 was the one he really should have won although Rasmussen fans may disagree. In 2008 luck and CSC were too much for him. As for the so called wheelsucking I think he was conservative because he feared Contador so much in the mountains and had a lot of faith in his own TT ability which failed him in 2008. If he attacked more in the mountains he would have lost more time, it might have been more exciting for the fans but he and his DS knew the risks and I think the calculation was correct. As for the Worlds it's one day not three weeks which frees up the tactical concerns. He took his chance and had a superb victory and like most people have commented, that victory gave him a lot more confidence.

His climbing did not improve but he tempered his calculating style enough to win good races like Fleche, Tirreno and the Tour but even his Tour win showed him on the back foot not leading by attacking. He rode smart and rode to his strengths and topped it off with a TT he was always capable of after three weeks. Being near the top of GC throughout the race and finishing the race stronger than anyone else. Evans was never a pure climber and I think his climbing was overrated because of his mountain bike background.

I see him as more of an all rounder like Valverde but I think he was a smarter rider than Valverde even though physically Valverde may have been superior. Valverde is a great rider who has won a ton of races and should have won more but it is telling that Evans has a Tour win and Worlds but Valverde has not. The major difference between the two is that Evans has the better TT and Valverde has the better sprint but talent wise I think they are similar. I think Evans will always be irritated by not winning the 2007 and 2008 Tours but he has to be satisfied with what he has achieved. Maybe not the most popular rider but his determination and ability to suffer was never in doubt and he made the most of his ability with a few hiccups along the way which is common in a long sporting career.

 

[Cookster15]

In 2008 Evans was up against a very strong CSC team with three candidates for victory in both Schlecks and Sastre. I think Evans fall really cost him and the fact that it was almost impossible for him to cover all the attacks in the mountains from CSC. I still thought he could win the race in the final TT and was surprised with Sastre's TT performance and Evan's mediocre one by his standards. Sastre simply finished the fresher after sitting in the pack for the entire race and making one attack on the Alpe where he gained enough time. Evans had a much tougher race. Tactically CSC held all the cards and Evans reacted too late to Sastre's attack because he feared counterattacks from the Schlecks and when he did chase the time gap did not reduce by much.

I think 2007 was the one he really should have won although Rasmussen fans may disagree. In 2008 luck and CSC were too much for him. As for the so called wheelsucking I think he was conservative because he feared Contador so much in the mountains and had a lot of faith in his own TT ability which failed him in 2008. If he attacked more in the mountains he would have lost more time, it might have been more exciting for the fans but he and his DS knew the risks and I think the calculation was correct. As for the Worlds it's one day not three weeks which frees up the tactical concerns. He took his chance and had a superb victory and like most people have commented, that victory gave him a lot more confidence.

His climbing did not improve but he tempered his calculating style enough to win good races like Fleche, Tirreno and the Tour but even his Tour win showed him on the back foot not leading by attacking. He rode smart and rode to his strengths and topped it off with a TT he was always capable of after three weeks. Being near the top of GC throughout the race and finishing the race stronger than anyone else. Evans was never a pure climber and I think his climbing was overrated because of his mountain bike background.

I see him as more of an all rounder like Valverde but I think he was a smarter rider than Valverde even though physically Valverde may have been superior. Valverde is a great rider who has won a ton of races and should have won more but it is telling that Evans has a Tour win and Worlds but Valverde has not. The major difference between the two is that Evans has the better TT and Valverde has the better sprint but talent wise I think they are similar. I think Evans will always be irritated by not winning the 2007 and 2008 Tours but he has to be satisfied with what he has achieved. Maybe not the most popular rider but his determination and ability to suffer was never in doubt and he made the most of his ability with a few hiccups along the way which is common in a long sporting career.

2008 Tdf - yes his stage 9 crash was the biggest factor. I recall one of the rival team bosses said Evans ride to take yellow the following day on the slopes of the Hautacam while smashed up was "heroic" (can't remember who it was maybe Garmin?). Likewise knowing the energy he had expended in dealing with his injury and the 3 pronged CSC team his ride on the Alpe into a headwind with everyone except Sastre on his wheel was still gutsy - in hindsight a forerunner of his ride on the Galibier in 2011 that won him the Tour.

2007 Tdf - I think Evans made a tactical error in following the multiple attacks of both Rasmussen then Contador on the Plateau de Beille and lost two minutes when he finally blew 5km from the finish. It was telling that Liepheimer sucked wheels on that climb and finished 60 secs ahead of Evans by measuring his effort and not blowing.

2007 and 2008 was probably when Cadel was at his physiological peak so definitely missed opportunities for him.

In 2011 we saw Cadel had obviously learned from his mistakes of those two years and did not try to immediately follow the attacks but slowly rode back to the wheels.

 

[Cookster15]

Mendrisio was absolutely the turning point. A really good race won in a gutsy ride that many fans did not believe he had in him. Until then he had a great palmarès of placements but precious few wins, and it seemed like he was too timid a racer to grab those wins. That all changed in Mendrisio

Agreed. Also I can recall until his Mendrisio win Cadel was often accused of being a wheelsucker - and sometimes unfairly I felt as what else could he do up against AC or CSC. But after Mendrisio that wheelsucker tag didn't follow him around any more. But really what changed after Mendrisio was Cadel's self belief. All of a sudden he believed in himself.

I also think BMC was also a factor in providing him with an environment that suited his personality - unlike Lotto who never seemed to understand what Cadel needed to be happy and get the best out of himself.

 

[movingtarget]

2008 Tdf - yes his stage 9 crash was the biggest factor. I recall one of the rival team bosses said Evans ride to take yellow the following day on the slopes of the Hautacam while smashed up was "heroic" (can't remember who it was maybe Garmin?). Likewise knowing the energy he had expended in dealing with his injury and the 3 pronged CSC team his ride on the Alpe into a headwind with everyone except Sastre on his wheel was still gutsy - in hindsight a forerunner of his ride on the Galibier in 2011 that won him the Tour.

2007 Tdf - I think Evans made a tactical error in following the multiple attacks of both Rasmussen then Contador on the Plateau de Beille and lost two minutes when he finally blew 5km from the finish. It was telling that Liepheimer sucked wheels on that climb and finished 60 secs ahead of Evans by measuring his effort and not blowing.

2007 and 2008 was probably when Cadel was at his physiological peak so definitely missed opportunities for him.

In 2011 we saw Cadel had obviously learned from his mistakes of those two years and did not try to immediately follow the attacks but slowly rode back to the wheels.

Yeah that was the owner of Columbia High Road. Evans was lucky to stay in the race as his helmet was almost split in two and he took all of the impact on his shoulder and head. A Euskadel rider fell in front of him on a descent. Evans admitted that he did not know where he was when he sat up but his concussion cleared. He was badly bruised from hip to head which led to the incident where a journalist touched his shoulder after the stage and Evans grumpiness with the press just got a bigger audience.

2007 was a major mistake which cost him the race and 2008 he had other problems. No wonder he left Lotto after 2010 as his Tour results in 2009 and 2010 were miserable but again he had an elbow problem in 2010 but after riding the Giro I don't think he would have hung in. I think he would have been lucky to make the podium after a hard Giro. His days in Yellow were probably numbered especially with Contador and Schleck riding well but Contador was not at his peak in 2010 and I really thought that Schleck should have beaten him not on paper but on the road as well. The final TT was gripping as Contador was suffering terribly and Schleck rode one of his best TTs.