There are two eras in Australian cycling: BC and AC.
In the almost 100 years since the first Australians competed in the Tour de France in 1914, none have won the grandest of Grand Tours. However, as more people joined the race from the 1980s onwards, other records began to fall.
Phil Anderson took the first stage win by an Australian in 1982 and twice retained the hallowed yellow general classification jersey midway through the race. Robbie McEwen led the golden era of Australian sprinters in the early 2000s; he won three green jerseys and compatriot Baden Cooke made another claim in the points standings.
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By 2010, a full team of Australians competed in the three-week stage race each year. But overall victory means the opportunity to gain the upper hand. maillot yellow He continued to elude the Australian contingent after the final stage on the Champs-Élysées.
Then in 2011, Cadel Evans changed everything. In an instant, the victory of the yellow jersey marked the boundaries of Australian cycling forever: Before Cadel and After Cadel. The golden era began with an extraordinary individual time trial on the penultimate stage in Grenoble.
Evans, who was a champion mountain biker in his youth and later hit the road, has come close to this before. The Australian finished eighth in his first tour of 2005; a year later he was just off the podium in fourth place. Two second-place results followed in 2007 and 2008, with disappointing performances in the following years.
Since the beginning of 2011 I have felt different. Evans entered the race as world champion and finished the opening stage in second place, then a few days later took the stage win, the third of his career. The Australian rider remained in general classification contention in the first week, then the second week and then the early part of the third week. The yellow jersey was within reach.
But on stage 18, with only a few days to go, Evans’ campaign almost failed. The tired peloton was facing the powerful Col du Galibier, who had finished the highest stage. With 60km to go, general classification rival Andy Schleck attacked to gain a huge advantage up the Col d’Izoard; He wanted to take the yellow jersey and create a sufficient time gap with just one mountain stage and the penultimate day trial. (The final stage in Paris is a parade for the general classification cyclists, with no time gained or lost).
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There was a feeling of deja vu. Twice before, Evans had failed to fully close the gap in the general classification at the last attempt. As Schleck extended his virtual lead, Evans had more seconds to make up in the time trial in Grenoble.
The peloton argued over who would join the chase. But with less than 10km left to climb the Galibier, Evans moved ahead of the pursuit group and began to grind. Every second gained from Schleck would make a difference two days later. The yellow jersey was in balance.
“Even though everyone was panicking,” Evans recalled on the Detour podcast a decade later, “you learn to stay calm and just concentrate on what you need to do. That day, on that last climb, I really had to use all my years of experience and ride the fastest pace possible .”
It was a remarkable, almost one-handed chase; Eventually Evans crossed the line two minutes behind Schleck; He was only one minute behind in the overall standings. The next day he survived a mechanical scare, closing the gap and winning the Tour de France by more than 90 seconds, before convincingly beating Schleck in the time trial on the streets of Grenoble.
And with that, Australian cycling changed – BC, AC.
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Cadel needs no introduction anymore; he was known nationwide only by his first name. Fittingly for someone whose love of cycling was reinforced by broadcasts of the Tour de France on SBS, Evans’ win turned the three-week race into annual appointment viewing for millions of Australians.
Two years ago Jai Hindley became the second Australian after Evans to win the Grand Tour and clinch the Giro d’Italia. Hindley spoke of the childhood inspiration he received from Evans’ victory and the guidance his now-retired cycling master gave him.
Evans, too, stood on the shoulders of giants; early pioneers included Sir Hubert Opperman and Russell Mockridge, 1980s wave stars Anderson, Allan Peiper and Neil Stephens, and early 2000s stars. Those that follow are building on that collective legacy: Caleb Ewan’s countless Grand Tour stage wins, Richie Porte’s 2020 podium finish in France and Hindley’s purple patch. But Evans’ yellow jersey will always be a defining moment for Australian cycling; the country’s first Grand Tour winner and only the second non-European to win the Tour de France.
Evans could barely contain his shock when he received a yellow card from Schleck right after the 20th stage time trial. “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it,” he repeats. The unthinkable had become reality; The dreams of teary-eyed fans suddenly came true. Australian cycling had changed forever.