Professional Cycling For the Fans - What do we REALLY think of Cadel Evans?

Hey guys,

new around here... I found this funny and interesting article on Cadel Evans http://www.barry.com.au/2011/07/14/cadel-evans-this-is-your-life/

What do you think of it? What do you think of Cadel?

I think this belongs in the pro forum.

Don't know him personally so i can't make any sort of judgement. I think as an athlete, he is awesome! Except for that ridiculous chin :P

I think this belongs in the pro forum.

Yep, welcome to the Pro forum.

"We"? Probably something stupid.

I named my car cadel after its climbing ability

Hey guys,

new around here... I found this funny and interesting article on Cadel Evans http://www.barry.com.au/2011/07/14/cadel-evans-this-is-your-life/

What do you think of it? What do you think of Cadel?

I think he should be respected more than these blokes lead on. These buggars obviously don't no crap about cycling and should shut the front door. They sound like dumb shock jocks anyway.

What do I think of Evans?

I think he's a class GT rider. He's won a sprint stage, he's 3rd on GC and is a top class TTer. Provided he doesn't have a bad day in the mountains I could see him sealing the win on stage 20.

How he comes across post the white line is very much secondary in my book.

What do I think of Evans?

I think he's a class GT rider. He's won a sprint stage, he's 3rd on GC and is a top class TTer. Provided he doesn't have a bad day in the mountains I could see him sealing the win on stage 20.

How he comes across post the white line is very much secondary in my book.

This is my sentiment as well. He has taken a lot of heat for not winning a grand tour yet. But he's not really a pure climber. He can't drop the pure climbers on the big mountain stages. A very good TT man, very good climber. Former road World Champion. Basically a better Levi Leipheimer. This may be his year though. He could be in a position where he just has to hang on in the big mountains and then out TT the others.

I know Cadel is looking really good right now, but there is this little voice in the back of my mind telling me that he's not going to go all the way. I think eventually he's going to blow up in the mountains.

I know Cadel is looking really good right now, but there is this little voice in the back of my mind telling me that he's not going to go all the way. I think eventually he's going to blow up in the mountains.

I hear what you're saying. But he never really blows up. Its more that he can't handle the big accelerations that a Contador or Schleck can put on. Him hanging today was a very good sign for him. But there are several more big mountains to come.

Really strong rider; never quite lived up to expectations.

The WCS made up for a lot of the let-downs, however; more-so than many others who also were expected to be the next best thing but ended up in super-domestique-or-top-20-purgatory.

Was legitimately robbed of the top spot in the 2009 Vuelta.

Seems a bit eccentric; talks about freeing Tibet but also threatens to cut your head off for stepping on his dog--some would say manic-depressive--I would be too for getting 2nd two years in a row in the TdF.

Weird climbing style. Why doesn't he spin an easier gear with more leg speed?

Good ITT'er but also looks really uncomfortable in his position.

Needs a real team with real trainers. And better "stuff".

I think Cadel blew his TDF opportunities in 2007 and 2008. He reminds me of Levi, but a bit stronger.

R

I think Cadel blew his TDF opportunities in 2007 and 2008. He reminds me of Levi, but a bit stronger.

R

Agree 100%.

He REALLY blew it in 2008. Just didn't want it bad enough. Sastre had a magical tour that year. Legendary attack on Alpe d'Huez.

he looks like a muppet. but a great rider. A great rider who won't win though.

Judging by the videos of him flipping out on people, I have a sneaking suspicion that he has some deep psychosocial problems that make winning a grand tour harder than the sting in the legs does.

Of course, this kind of foolish unqualified suspicion of people you've never met is what the stupid internet is for.

seems normal to me
can talk with his legs
knows how to suffer
...we're all whiners at some time - it's what you do after, when you get it out of your system
he's not some whinny ***** flat stage sprinter:thumb:

Excellent pro cyclist, but he won't win.

I once was pumping gas at a Costco next to Dr. Sammy Lee (two-time Olympian gold medalist and famous diving coach) and asked him what was the most important singular characteristic/sine qua non of a great athletic feat, in his experience.

Without any hesitation at all, he mentioned mental toughness. This is the quality I think Cadel is just a tad short on. And that is why he won't win this Tour.

Excellent pro cyclist, but he won't win.

I once was pumping gas at a Costco next to Dr. Sammy Lee (two-time Olympian gold medalist and famous diving coach) and asked him what was the most important singular characteristic/sine qua non of a great athletic feat, in his experience.

Without any hesitation at all, he mentioned mental toughness. This is the quality I think Cadel is just a tad short on. And that is why he won't win this Tour.

You may be right. I get the feeling that this may be the tour that sets thigns for Cadel. Either sets teh mental toughness as lacking or set his breakout.

And it may be somethgn little. Some little thing that makes him think it is his year or some little thing that makes him think he is cursed.

Really strong rider; never quite lived up to expectations.

The WCS made up for a lot of the let-downs, however; more-so than many others who also were expected to be the next best thing but ended up in super-domestique-or-top-20-purgatory.

Was legitimately robbed of the top spot in the 2009 Vuelta.

Seems a bit eccentric; talks about freeing Tibet but also threatens to cut your head off for stepping on his dog--some would say manic-depressive--I would be too for getting 2nd two years in a row in the TdF.

Weird climbing style. Why doesn't he spin an easier gear with more leg speed?

Good ITT'er but also looks really uncomfortable in his position.

Needs a real team with real trainers. And better "stuff".


I think you're totally off the pace here and also in your comment below about blowing it in 2008. Agree with your comment about the Vuelta though. Slow wheel change from neutral service got him there. But you need to cut the guy some slack.

1) He was the 2009 road world champion and has also been a MTB world champ.
2) Wore the pink jersey in his debut GT at the Giro.
3) If BMC is not a real team, what is? Seriously, how pro do you need to be?
4) The 2008 TDF saw Sastre win by a small margin after his team targetted Cadel in the mountains with repeated attacks by both Schlecks and others - all of which he had to cover without strong support. I don't think anyone could have withstood this. The relative weakness of PharmaLotto was one of Cadels bigger problems at the time - although admittedly, his leadership was apparently not as strong as it is now.


Don't mean to be grumpy but I think you can acknowledge the guy a little more than this. The only race so far this year which he hasn't won is the Dauphine (2nd). That kind of record does not come to anybody.

I think you're totally off the pace here and also in your comment below about blowing it in 2008. Agree with your comment about the Vuelta though. Slow wheel change from neutral service got him there. But you need to cut the guy some slack.

1) He was the 2009 road world champion and has also been a MTB world champ.
2) Wore the pink jersey in his debut GT at the Giro.
3) If BMC is not a real team, what is? Seriously, how pro do you need to be?
4) The 2008 TDF saw Sastre win by a small margin after his team targetted Cadel in the mountains with repeated attacks by both Schlecks and others - all of which he had to cover without strong support. I don't think anyone could have withstood this. The relative weakness of PharmaLotto was one of Cadels bigger problems at the time - although admittedly, his leadership was apparently not as strong as it is now.


Don't mean to be grumpy but I think you can acknowledge the guy a little more than this. The only race so far this year which he hasn't won is the Dauphine (2nd). That kind of record does not come to anybody.

Point #4 contradicts Point #3

His results indicate how he is as a rider.

How does Point 4 contradict 3? He was riding for Omega Pharma Lotto in 2008, not BMC. Sorry, don't follow.

Is it just me, or does it seem like EVERYONE not in the cycling community finds the crash involving the news car funny?

I am no Cadel fan but Lotto was no use to him. Sorta like Levi riding for Gerolstein(sp)

R

Point #4 contradicts Point #3

His results indicate how he is as a rider.

ZING!! haha, good one!
And i agree.

Hmm, where was "team" BMC today on Stage 18? Cadel did a solo hero pull out of desperation.

I really feel sorry for him a lot of times.

Cadel would have made Gilbert look like a Cat-5 racer had he concentrated on Classics races with a stacked Lotto squad but their management in their brilliance obviously felt he could solo the TdF.

Hopefully Cadel can pull off the win in the TdF.

He really needs a better team. We will see if he has anyone there tomorrow.

Hope he wins, If nothing happens tomorrow and everything stays as todays in the GC, cadel has finally won the tdf.

Cadel earned a lot of my respect today -- though he'd have earned even more if he'd had his "screw you guys, I'll chase him myself" moment about 30 km earlier.

Who really cares about what some radio presenter thinks about Cadel? Cadel's head is in a better place this year and his legs will do the talking on Saturday. I hope he wins. He's a class rider. He's a fantastic athlete and I yell for Cadel. Here's to you Mr. Evans.

I started to like him after seeing him honor the rainbow jersey last year by racing pretty much everything. It's good to see how things turned out for him this year.

Did anybody else get creeped out when he kissed the stuffed lion on the lips on the podium? I still think he's a really weird dude, but I'm happy for him. He kept a level head, rode smart, strong, and earned this one.

Ehh, I'm not a huge fan. I agree he rode very well in this tour, he earned his victory, and went above and beyond last year riding with a busted arm.

He just doesn't seem to take a lot of risks. He didn't launch big attacks, and all he and BMC did in the last week was respond. It seems like attacking isn't his forte so tactically it was good that it played to his strengths, but it's not as much fun to watch.

Judging by the videos of him flipping out on people, I have a sneaking suspicion that he has some deep psychosocial problems that make winning a grand tour harder than the sting in the legs does.

Of course, this kind of foolish unqualified suspicion of people you've never met is what the stupid internet is for.

Great to see a fellow psycho winning the TdF.

Did anybody else get creeped out when he kissed the stuffed lion on the lips on the podium? I still think he's a really weird dude, but I'm happy for him. He kept a level head, rode smart, strong, and earned this one.
Uh, dude... It's a stuffed animal.

Oh, and it's part of the podium ritual, it represents Credit Lyonnais (a major Tour sponsor). Not as much fun as kissing the podium girls but perfectly normal, cf

http://cdn2.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net//photos/2007/tour07/tour0719/fs014_600.jpg

http://cdn2.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net//photos/2008/tour08/tour086/TDF08St6033Kirchen_600.jpg

Ehh, I'm not a huge fan. I agree he rode very well in this tour, he earned his victory, and went above and beyond last year riding with a busted arm.

He just doesn't seem to take a lot of risks. He didn't launch big attacks, and all he and BMC did in the last week was respond. It seems like attacking isn't his forte so tactically it was good that it played to his strengths, but it's not as much fun to watch.

Agreed, but I don't think he actually has the physical ability to hit the turbo on a 12% grade like Contador and Andy can. His brain sends the same signal to the muscles, but they respond differently. He just has the brute force to reel people back in, while still being well rounded enough to climb with the best of them, and TT with the best of them. I still enjoy watching Contador race more than anyone else, because he can do everything well, and he animates races with beautiful attacks, but Cadel had the right combination of skill, suffering, and luck this time around.

Well, I for one did not think Cadel could win this Tour in the beginning. I started to believe he could do it when I started appreciating his strategy, tactics and steadiness. He just showed again that experience and guile trumps strength. He understood very clearly who he had to mark on the climbs, and he did that very well.

He just took the Schlecks to school on tactics.

Uh, dude... It's a stuffed animal.


he kissed the stuffed lion

What was your point? I find it weird that grown men are awarded stuffed animals for winning porting events in the first place, regardless of what they do with them afterwards.

Uh, dude... It's a stuffed animal.

Oh, and it's part of the podium ritual, it represents Credit Lyonnais (a major Tour sponsor). Not as much fun as kissing the podium girls but perfectly normal, cf

http://cdn2.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net//photos/2007/tour07/tour0719/fs014_600.jpg

http://cdn2.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net//photos/2008/tour08/tour086/TDF08St6033Kirchen_600.jpg

I think he'd have found himself in some form of legal trouble if he tried kissing the podium girls in the same manner . . . . . even in France. After being runner-up twice, I admire his restraint towards the toy.

I find it weird that grown men are awarded stuffed animals for winning porting events in the first place, regardless of what they do with them afterwards.
Yeah, I guess that other than the stuffed lion, there's nothing weird or unserious about the sport of cycling....


http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00686/tour-de-france-devi_686489n.jpg

http://www.cyclingfans.net/images/2010_paris-roubaix_fabian_cancellara_saxo_bank_victory_podium2a.jpg

http://sacramentoscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/tour-of-ca-2009-spectator.jpg

http://randmiller.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/product-placement.png

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races07/giro07/giro07st08bc-face.jpg

:D

I'm thinking that getting a stuffed lion on the podium is probably the least weird thing about this sport.


P.S. just be glad I didn't post the pick of a bunch of cycling fans in mankinis.... (shudder)

Keep in mind, cycling is televised. As long as there's a chance that the television cameras will be around, the attention-grabbers will definitely be in attendance. You want to get rid of the weird, disgusting types on the sidelines? Get rid of the TV cameras. I'll happily put up with the drunk ******** momentary flash on the screen, just so I can watch the races.

As to the devil: Didi's been around for so long, and has been such a fixture on the European Pro Tour that, if there's any justice in the world, once he's gone I should hope that the teams send representatives to his funeral. He's as much a part of professional cycling as the cobblestone trophy, the stuffed lion, and the teams themselves. And he's always handled his presence with a certain amount of class - which is more than can be said for a lot of the repeat 'characters'.

By the way, you forgot the Specialized Angel <grumble>.

he looks like a muppet. but a great rider. A great rider who won't win though.

I was 1/2 wrong.

I always liked him. He's not an automaton - he fails and gets frustrated, he lashes out when someone hits his injured arm. He gets tongue tied in front of the cameras, he doesn't talk like a PR machine. he needs a good group around him to prosper. He's driven and probably lives on his nerves and stuff sometimes gets the better of him. All in all, he's like most of us. He's human, with all the good and bad that goes with it. And that's why I always liked him. And if he's he's got a chin that differs somewhat from a certain percentage of the population, so what?

What was your point? I find it weird that grown men are awarded stuffed animals for winning porting events in the first place, regardless of what they do with them afterwards.

dude, lighten up.

I started to like him after seeing him honor the rainbow jersey last year by racing pretty much everything. It's good to see how things turned out for him this year.

+1

Evans' self-belief really improved after he won the Worlds- and he rode like a true champion all last year. This july, he has accepted the responsibilities of favouritism throughout- when others couldn't or wouldn't. He's been smart, alert and aggressive- without a lot of support, in the high mountains.

dude, lighten up.

Dude, that's why I started riding in the first place.

Cadel proved that Contador without the juice was no match. Not in the mountains and not in the TT.

lets make a deal, You step on my dog and I cut your head off. That's even, no?

Great to see a fellow psycho winning the TdF.

+1

Who really knows what Evans is like in real life? And however he is, do I have to like him as a person in order to respect him as a cyclist? I don't think so.

He's been one of the best for several years and his performances in the last couple of years, especially the worlds and this Tour, have been excellent. I also remember with some admiration his win in a really tough stage of the Giro last year over the "White roads". He's no stylist, looks terrible on a TT bike - even I can get more aero than that - and so must have a terrific engine to perform as he does in the TTs and mountain stages. Tough guy.