Cadel Evans facts for kids
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Evans at the 2012 Critérium du Dauphiné
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Cadel Lee Evans | ||
| Born | 14 February 1977 Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia |
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| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb; 10 st 1 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road, Mountain bike | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | All-rounder | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian former professional racing cyclist. He was born on February 14, 1977. Cadel competed in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. He is famous for being one of only three non-European riders to win the Tour de France. He achieved this amazing win in 2011.
Early in his career, Cadel was a top mountain biker. He won the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup twice, in 1998 and 1999. He also raced in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Cadel is a four-time Olympian, meaning he competed in four Olympic Games.
In 2001, Cadel switched to full-time road cycling. He quickly became a strong competitor. He finished second in the Tour de France in both 2007 and 2008. These were some of the closest finishes in the Tour's history. He also became the first Australian to win the UCI ProTour in 2007. In 2009, he won the UCI Road World Championships.
After a few challenging years, Cadel made history in 2011. He became the first Australian to win the Tour de France. He took the lead on the second-to-last day. He was 34 years old, making him one of the oldest winners ever. Cadel also finished on the podium in other big races. These included the 2009 Vuelta a España and the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
Cadel Evans retired from cycling on February 1, 2015. He finished his career by racing in an event named after him.
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Early Life of Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans was born on February 14, 1977. His birthplace was Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia. He spent his early years in a small Aboriginal community called Barunga. This community is about 80 kilometers east of Katherine.
When he was seven, Cadel had an accident. A horse hit him in the head. He was in a special sleep for seven days to help him recover. In 1986, his parents separated. Cadel moved with his mother to Armidale, New South Wales. Later, they moved to Eltham, a suburb of Melbourne.
Cadel went to Newling Public School and then Eltham High School. He enjoyed Skateboarding as a teenager. His father remembers him as a good student. He was just a normal kid who left his toys around. No one imagined he would become a world-class athlete.
Cadel's Cycling Career
Mountain Biking Success
Cadel Evans began his international cycling journey in 1995. He was part of the Australian Institute of Sport mountain bike program. Tests showed he had amazing lung capacity. This meant he could take in more oxygen than most people. Because of this, he was nicknamed 'The Lung'.
Cadel won bronze medals in junior world championships. He also earned silver medals in under-23 world championships. He was a champion in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. He won the cross-country event in both 1998 and 1999. In 1997, he rode for the Diamondback team. Later, he joined the Volvo–Cannondale team.
In 2017, Cadel returned to mountain biking. He competed in the Masters category of the Cape Epic race in South Africa. He teamed up with George Hincapie. They won their category in the eight-day race.
Switching to Road Cycling
Cadel Evans showed great potential in road cycling in 1999. A famous commentator, Phil Liggett, predicted he would win the Tour de France. However, Cadel officially switched to road cycling in 2001. He joined the Saeco team.
He spent a year with Saeco and then Mapei. He also rode for T-Mobile for two years. During these early years, he had other successes. He won the Tour of Austria in 2001 and 2004. He also wore the pink jersey as leader of the Giro d'Italia for one day in 2002. Cadel became the Commonwealth Games time trial champion in 2002.
At Mapei, Cadel was coached by Aldo Sassi. Sassi helped him become a strong grand tour rider. After Sassi passed away, Cadel continued to work with his student, Andrea Morelli. When Cadel won the Tour de France in 2011, he dedicated his win to his late coach.
Davitamon–Lotto Team (2005–2009)
In 2005, Cadel joined the Davitamon–Lotto team. He finished eighth in his first Tour de France. This was the first time an Australian was in the top ten since Phil Anderson.
In 2006, Cadel won the mountains classification in the 2006 Tour Down Under. He also won the 2006 Tour de Romandie. He finished fifth in the 2006 Tour de France. Later, he was moved to fourth place. This happened after the original winner was disqualified. Cadel was also named Australian Cyclist of the Year.
In the 2007 Tour de France, Cadel finished second. He won one stage, a time trial. He also finished fourth in the 2007 Vuelta a España. Cadel won the overall 2007 UCI ProTour classification. He was named Australian Cyclist of the Year again.
In 2008, Cadel was a favorite to win the 2008 Tour de France. He wore the yellow jersey for several stages. However, he lost time on a mountain stage. He finished second overall, 58 seconds behind the winner. Cadel also competed in the Beijing Olympics. He finished 15th in the road race and fifth in the time trial.
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In 2009, Cadel won the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali. He also finished third overall in the 2009 Vuelta a España. During this race, he wore the gold leader's jersey for a day. Cadel joined a special group of cyclists. These riders have worn all three Grand Tour leader's jerseys. He wore the pink jersey in the Giro d'Italia, yellow in the Tour de France, and gold in the Vuelta a España.
Cadel went on to win the World Road Race Championships. This happened in Switzerland on September 27. He received the Australian Cyclist of the Year award for the third time.
BMC Racing Team (2010–2015)
2010 Season
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In 2010, Cadel joined the BMC Racing Team. He won the 2010 La Flèche Wallonne race. He also led the Giro d'Italia after stage two. Cadel won stage seven of the Giro. This stage was known as "the mud stage" due to heavy rain. He finished fifth overall in the Giro. He also won the points classification.
Cadel wore the yellow jersey for one stage of the 2010 Tour de France. This was despite having a hairline fracture in his left elbow. He lost significant time and finished 26th overall.
2011 Season: Tour de France Victory
Cadel had a very strong start to 2011. He won a stage and the overall title at 2011 Tirreno–Adriatico. He also won the overall title at the 2011 Tour de Romandie. Both of these were major races. He skipped the 2011 Giro d'Italia to focus on the Tour de France. He finished second in the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné, a key warm-up race.
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Cadel finished second on stage one of the Tour de France. He then won stage four, his third Tour de France stage win. As the Tour continued, Cadel stayed near the top. He worked hard to keep himself in a good position. He believed he could make up time in the final time trial.
On stage 19, Cadel had to chase down a group of rivals. He faced mechanical trouble but kept fighting. On the time trial, the second-to-last stage, Cadel took the lead. He beat the previous leader by over two minutes. With this win, he became the first Australian to win the Tour de France. He was also the second non-European winner. At 34, he was the oldest winner in the modern era.
Cadel's win caused huge celebrations in Australia. People called for a national holiday. The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, called to congratulate him. Tens of thousands of people welcomed him home in Melbourne. Many wore yellow and waved yellow flags.
2012 Season
In March 2012, Cadel won the 2012 Critérium International. He won the time trial stage and held his lead. He also won stage one of the 2012 Critérium du Dauphiné. He finished third overall in that race.
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Cadel started the 2012 Tour de France hoping to win again. He showed good form early on. However, he lost a lot of time in the individual time trial. He also struggled in the high mountains. He dropped to seventh place overall. On stage 14, Cadel had three flat tires. Other teams showed good sportsmanship by slowing down. Cadel finished the Tour in seventh place. He later said he was ill during the race.
Cadel was chosen for the Australian Olympic team in London. He competed in the road race. However, he withdrew from the time trial. He said he was too tired. He ended his 2012 season early to rest for 2013.
2013 Season
Cadel's 2013 season started well. He finished third in the 2013 Tour of Oman. His plan was to race both the 2013 Giro d'Italia and the 2013 Tour de France. The Giro d'Italia was very tough. It had cold and wet weather. Despite this, Cadel was in second place for a long time. He finished third overall in the Giro.
In the Tour de France, Cadel faced major difficulties. He struggled in the mountains. His team helped him, but it wasn't enough. He finished 39th overall. This was a disappointing result for him and his team.
2014–2015: Retirement
In September 2014, Cadel announced his retirement. He said he would stop racing in February 2015. He participated in the first Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in 2015. He finished fifth in this race named in his honor. After retiring, Cadel became a Global Ambassador for the BMC team.
Personal Life
In 2005, Cadel married Chiara Passerini. She is an Italian pianist and music teacher. In 2012, they adopted their son, Robel, from Ethiopia. Cadel and Chiara separated in 2015. Since then, he has been dating Stefania Zandonella. Their son, Aidan, was born in 2019.
Cadel's grandfather was from Wales. Cadel was named after three Welsh kings. His first cousin, Matthew Haanappel, is an Australian Paralympian.
Cadel lives in Barwon Heads, Victoria, Australia. When he is in Europe, he lives in Stabio, Switzerland.
On June 10, 2013, Cadel was made a Member of the Order of Australia. This is a special honor for his achievements.
Cadel supports the Geelong Football Club in Australian Rules Football. A book about his life, Cadel Evans: Close To Flying, was published in 2009.
Supporting Good Causes
In 2007, Cadel won the The Sydney Morning Herald Sports Performer of the Year award. He promised to donate his $50,000 prize to charity. Some of the money went to the Amy Gillett Foundation. This foundation helps cyclists. It was created in memory of Amy Gillett, an Australian cyclist who died in an accident. Another charity he supported was Ian Thorpe's Fountain for Youth. This charity helps young people with illnesses.
In 2008, Cadel wore a cycling shirt with the Flag of Tibet. He supported freedom for Tibet. He said he wanted to raise awareness for the cause. He felt sorry for the people and their culture.
Cadel also supports youth mental health. He has taken part in the 'Suit Up & Ride' event in Melbourne since 2010. This event raises money for Orygen Youth Health.
Career Achievements
Cadel Evans has achieved many great things in his cycling career.
Major Wins
- Mountain Bike World Cup: He won the overall title twice (1998, 1999). He had 8 individual wins in World Cup races.
- Tour de France: He won the overall race in 2011. He also won 2 individual stages (2007, 2011).
- Giro d'Italia: He won the points classification in 2010. He also won 1 individual stage in 2010.
- Tour de Romandie: He won the overall race twice (2006, 2011).
- Tirreno–Adriatico: He won the overall race in 2011.
- Tour of Austria: He won the overall race twice (2001, 2004).
- Critérium International: He won the overall race in 2012.
- Giro del Trentino: He won the overall race in 2014.
- Settimana Coppi e Bartali: He won the overall race in 2008.
- World Road Race Championships: He won the road race in 2009.
- La Flèche Wallonne: He won this classic race in 2010.
- UCI ProTour: He won the overall classification in 2007.
Olympic and Commonwealth Games Medals
- Commonwealth Games:
- Gold medal in the Road time trial (2002 Manchester)
- Silver medal in the Road race (2002 Manchester)
- World Championships (Road):
- Gold medal in the Road race (2009 Mendrisio)
- Bronze medal in the Junior time trial (1995 Forlì)
- World Championships (Mountain Bike):
- Silver medal in Junior cross-country (1994 Vail, 1995 Kirchzarten)
- Silver medal in Under 23 cross-country (1997 Château-d'Œx, 1999 Åre)
- Silver medal in Cross-country relay (2001 Vail)
- Bronze medal in Under 23 cross-country (1996 Cairns)
Awards and Honours
Cadel Evans has won the Sir Hubert Opperman Trophy four times (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011). This award is given to the Australian Cyclist of the Year. In 2013, he was honored as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia. In 2020, Cadel was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
Images for kids
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Cadel Evans at the 2005 Deutschland Tour
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Cadel Evans during a time trial in the 2007 Tour de France
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Cadel Evans at the 2009 Tour de France
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Cadel Evans at the 2010 Tour de France team presentation
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Cadel Evans wearing the yellow jersey after winning the 2011 Tour de France
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Cadel Evans at the 2012 Tour de France
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Cadel Evans during the 2015 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
See also
In Spanish: Cadel Evans para niños
