patentcad

After his admittedly ill-timed puncture and slow wheel change at the worst possible moment on today's last climb, Cadel displayed the class he has become known for in the cycling media:

“I don’t deserve this. I do everything right in the ****ing sport and I don’t deserve this ****,” Evans told VeloNews at the Sierra Nevada summit. “(The) wheel change was the problem.”



Easy Cadel, it's a family show.

You can't blame the guy I suppose. I watched it on TV. It was brutal watching him get a slow wheel change from the neutral support car, only to finally see his own Team Lotto car, and they just handed him a new Canyon road bike, and off he went. It just took too long. The thing is, even when he's got justification, he just comes off as such a bitter and whiney dude.

Oh well.

El Diablo Rojo

“I don’t deserve this. I do everything right in the ****ing sport and I don’t deserve this ****,” Evans told VeloNews at the Sierra Nevada summit. “(The) wheel change was the problem.”

Actually Cadel that's not entirely true...you re-signed with Lotto..seriously how can anyone think that Lotto would ever give you a team that would get you a GT win...so in this respect you've got no one to blame but the man in the mirror...

Today's wheel change did suck though.

patentcad

Correct on all counts. And yes, that puncture was very bad luck indeed.

All I'm saying is that Cadel doesn't help himself by coming off like such a whiner all the time. On days like today, when he really has reasons to be frustrated, he's sort of like the boy who cried wolf after episodes like his silly rant about getting cut off in the sprint by that other rider (can't recall who) a few stages back. The only participant or observer who really thought that was an actionable foul was Cadel, and he went off about it to everybody immediately after the stage.

Here's the difference: Lance, Basso or most other big cycling stars would have said 'bad break, but that's what happens, we'll try to make it up other days'. They have more awareness that they are sports personalities, and how they come off in the media is very important.

erader

the other day cordell evans blamed gesink and headbutted him. what a piece of work he is and i'll bet i'm not the only one who revels in his misfortune .

ed rader

patentcad

It's a shame, because Cadel is a amazing cycling talent, a potentially great cyclist, but he can't get out of his own way.

El Diablo Rojo

To his defense CE is under a tremendous amount of pressure...a great deal of which he's put on himself. After the Tour his team even said that they won't support him again as sole leader. The guy has a short leash no doubt, the expectations that he and the media have heaped on his shoulders are pretty immense. Some people handle pressure well and can turn bad days into motivation..others don't..I'd be interested to see Cadel on a team where he wasn't 'the guy'. Where he could be supported but not have the entire weight put on his shoulders. He might just get to that next level.

dmb2786

This is my favorite "Pcad quotes VeloNews" thread in a while.

JacoKierkegaard

That whole ordeal was just painful to watch, and I was really rooting for him to close the gap. Still, being that whiny about it makes me feel much less sorry for him.

I love how obviously pissed the commentator was that Evans' teammate took his sweet time dropping back to help.

CrimsonKarter21

The guy's a victim. A victim of himself and of the cycling media, but a victim altogether.

DiabloScott

He's like Jan Ullrich, without the personality... or talent... or English skills.

It was unfortunate - too bad.

txvintage

Some people are just natural born victims. It really helps them disavow any personal responsibility for what ever consequences may befall them due to their own actions.

Who ever offered the boy who cried wolf analogy earlier hit the nail on the head. Ya, Evans got a bad break today but I just can't find it in me to care.

king-tony

He just needs a break. He should start by scheduling a grand tour that does not hit his minstrel cycle so poorly.

patentcad

ElJamoquio

Awesome post... and true on all counts.

patentcad

Or doping credentials.

aloysius

You know, the thing is, he actually looked like he a had a pretty good shot at taking the Vuelta before that flat. After that gruesome wheel change, he more or less kept pace with the contenders -- he may even have pulled back a few seconds. After today, two critical stages remain: a mountain stage that favors Valverde and a time trial that would have favored Evans. Had he finished with the leaders, I'd have given him even odds on winning it all. I've never much liked Evans; he always seemed like a ******, a bad teammate and a whiner, but I today I also saw an aging racer losing what may have been his last best shot at a major victory. I have to admit, I kind of felt for the guy.

El Diablo Rojo

I'd really like to see him leave Lotto and get with a real GT team. GiveN the right environment and proper 'handlers' I think he'd be a winner. A year at the Shack learning from LA about how to handle pressure and the media would do him a world of good.

travkat

Best BF thread! My wife and I are always discussing what a whiney little B**** CE can be. I try really hard to like the guy, but he never takes any responsibility for outcomes that involve him. It is always someone else's fault for his "bad luck". Today's wheel change did suck, but really with the whining? If anything this should motivate him to get his *** in gear and change teams. Oh well, what are you gonna do.

patentcad

I would like to request Led Zep's 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' on Radio Vuelta and dedicate it to Cadel.

aloysius

They really miss McEwan. He could win races by himself, which papered over the incompetence of the rest of that operation. I do think that Evans has contributed to that team's disfunction. Last year they brought in Popovich to aid Evans in the grand tours, and given Popovich's resume as a support rider, it looked like a reasonably smart move. Evans,however, managed to completely alienate Popovich, who road listlessly through the tours and beat a retreat back to Brunyeel at season's end.

lukasz

I'd like to see the guy win something. Sure he whines, but come on! I have a habit of rooting for the underdog and he's been in that position for a awhile now when it comes to grand tours. He plays a good second fiddle compared to whoever the race favorite may be -- possibly because of the vitriol usually coming from his direction.

daytonian

proof of this is in the Tdf TTT were they ended 2.5 minutes down to Conty. i would sit up too

Duke of Kent

So...what kept him from a) getting on his team radio to tell his team car/his teammate he had a flat b) riding it up to his teammate and c) taking his teammates wheel?

I mean, they're riding tubulars, right? I don't expect my pro athletes to be brain surgeons on the side, but really, he's a f***ing professional cyclist. Does he really not know how to race his bike?

Sure, it might be less than ideal, but going 10mph instead of 12mph is better than going 0mph.

superdex

Has yet to show the strength, will, or edge to win. Oh well.

Caad 8

Anyone have a link to a vid or something?