Cadel Evans - Vainquer
Jul. 30th, 2011 10:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99You have no idea how difficult it was not to call this Cadel Evans, the little cyclist who could. I know little is a tautology with cyclists, but Evans is such an unlikely winner. I mean, even before we get to the cycling, he was born with a broken nose and then, as a child was kicked by a horse which put him into a coma. When he did come out of the coma, the doctors didn't expect him to be able to walk again.
While I've had to explain to an Aussie friend that no, being a Tasmanian does not count as something he had to struggle against, cycling is definitely one of the sports with the worst schedule, and even though everyone is miles from home, it must be worse when you're from miles and miles away from home.
He's also a bad luck magnet. If something, be it an over-excited spectator or an over-excited dog belonging to a spectator, is going to happen to someone, it'll be Cadel it happens to. When the chain came off his bike at the start of the Galibier, I thought, well there goes Cadel's tour, again.
Add to that the fact that he gets ridiculously shy in front of cameras (which leads to the mildly disturbing laugh he gets when faced with interviews), and hates journalists, who get their own back with pleasure, and before this year, despite some truly excellent rides, he was generally remembered as the guy who tried hard but cracked when it mattered, and for shouting at journalists to stay away from his dog.
At 34 this was probably his last reasonable shot, and in winning it, he becomes the oldest post-WWII winner.
So, to Cadel Evans, winner of the 2011, proving that nice guys don't always finish last, and even win sometimes, and that perseverance can pay off.
And as promised his podium shot
Although I prefer this one
While I've had to explain to an Aussie friend that no, being a Tasmanian does not count as something he had to struggle against, cycling is definitely one of the sports with the worst schedule, and even though everyone is miles from home, it must be worse when you're from miles and miles away from home.
He's also a bad luck magnet. If something, be it an over-excited spectator or an over-excited dog belonging to a spectator, is going to happen to someone, it'll be Cadel it happens to. When the chain came off his bike at the start of the Galibier, I thought, well there goes Cadel's tour, again.
Add to that the fact that he gets ridiculously shy in front of cameras (which leads to the mildly disturbing laugh he gets when faced with interviews), and hates journalists, who get their own back with pleasure, and before this year, despite some truly excellent rides, he was generally remembered as the guy who tried hard but cracked when it mattered, and for shouting at journalists to stay away from his dog.
At 34 this was probably his last reasonable shot, and in winning it, he becomes the oldest post-WWII winner.
So, to Cadel Evans, winner of the 2011, proving that nice guys don't always finish last, and even win sometimes, and that perseverance can pay off.
And as promised his podium shot
Although I prefer this one
