Cadel Evans CT Interview: The Tour & Beyond

A. Strangely enough, it was difficult to finish this years Tour with a broken elbow, but it was not my hardest Tour; the injuries I acquired in the 2008 TdF made that the hardest race I think I ever rode.

Q. What were your feelings pulling on that Maillot Jaune at the end of stage eight? You’ve been great enough to wear it so many times now, is the feeling different with each stage and was it different for this one?

A. Err...I hurt my arm and shoulder to put it on! Seriously, as a rider who concentrates on the overall, it was still very early in the race, but as always, it is a pleasure and an honour to wear yellow.

Q. The rainbow jersey has been said in the past to be ‘cursed’. Do you believe at all in the superstitions? Was it going through your mind before you entered the Tour for 2010?

A. No.

Q. We have seen the emotional footage as you crossed the line of stage nine, we know how much it means to you to have a strong team behind you. Can you take us through those emotions as you finished the stage with Mauro Santambrogio?

A. Having a strong and supportive team is what makes cycling so great. At that moment in the TdF, I was very disappointed to lose yellow, of course for myself, but more so, I was disappointed for the team.

Q. Once the seriousness of your injury was made public there was a huge outpouring of support for you as you continued on and slogged through the pain. Is it something you were aware of, could you get a sense of that out on the course from the Aussie fans on the sidelines?

A. Most people were very supportive of my efforts. I was focused on doing the best GC possible.

Q. You can keep a good secret, that’s for sure, what was the reaction from your teammates and the rest of the peloton once they found out the extent of your injuries?

A. Surprise!

Q. So you’re in the Rainbow Jersey, you’ve finished the tour strong in the past, you’ve got a great new team and sponsors and had a legion of fans camped out on the Col du Tourmalet. Was there one factor driving you on to Paris or a combination of everything?

A. I wanted to respect the Tour organisers faith in us and our subsequent invite to the Tour, and respect the faith BMC has had in me.

Q. So for now you take a break, recover, recuperate....what’s next on your upcoming calendar and how will you build up to the World Championships?

A. Yes, I am now concentrated on my rehabilitation. I hope to be able to race some Belgian and French races to build up for the Worlds in Geelong.

Q. With the World Championships being held in one of your old stomping grounds, how does that feel and what are you looking forward to about it?

A. Yes, I am happy that Australia can have the World Championships, though it is not a course for me, so I will probably be there in a supportive role.

And finally...

 

Q. If you could choose between x-ray vision and the power to read minds, which would you choose and why??!

A. Read minds! X-ray vision would spoil my imagination.....

 

Keep up to date with Cadel's progress towards the World Championships on Twitter http://twitter.com/CadelOfficial and for more photos of Cadel & the team visit http://www.bmc-racing.com/int-en/home.html