During last nights Tour de France stage, I grew continually frustrated by the constant stream of crap posted on Twitter about Cadel Evans being less than perfect. Soft, slow, unwilling to attack and a wheel sucker were just some of the claims. I actually had a few of them book marked so I could use them on the blog, but I decided this morning not to give the idiots any more air time by publishing them on the blog.
Just a disclaimer before I go any further. I am not a huge fan of Evans. I have a huge respect for him as a cyclist. I like that he is his own man. I just have some of his tantrums still burnt into my memory from years gone buy. Pre BMC days when he used to go off like a cracker at what seemed regular intervals. BMC seemed to have settled him down. Fatherhood might have as well. Who knows. Back to my point.
To the claims he is a wheel sucker. This is the biggest load of bullshit I have heard. Do people remember Stage 19 of last years Tour when he dragged a group up Galibier, doing all the work at the front?
Evans, a Wheel Sucker?
This year he has had a crack a few times. Sure, they might not have been the smartest moves at times, but at least he has had a go. A Twitter buddy, who is part of the Brad Wiggins fan club, was giving it to me via Twitter DMs last night. Claiming Evans was sitting on a wheel all stage. He got rather agitated when I called Wiggins the Yellow Caboose. Wiggins has been dragged around France, save for the ITT, sitting on the wheels of the Sky Train. He hasn’t had to animate the race. He is going to win it by racing smart. Good on him.
Then there is the claim Evans is soft. Another load of uber bullshit. Who could forget him racing on the 204.5km ninth stage from Morzine to Saint Jean de Maurienne in 2010 with a fractured elbow.
You can’t ride 200kms with a busted wing if you are soft.
The claim he doesn’t attack. Have these idiots been watching the same race as I have? His attacks haven’t set the race on fire, and have been launched at dubious times, but attack he does.
Slow. Really. Cadel Evans is slow? Again, are these people watching the same race as I am? Despite last nights stage where he was struggling with stomach issues, see Tweets below, he still sits in the top 10!
Bad day for me; does not take much and you’re out of the running of this one. ‘Intestinal issues’ – at least it wasn’t during the race! #tdf
— Cadel Evans (@CadelOfficial) July 18, 2012
Thanks to many for the support on my sh!++y day….this is what makes it interesting right? I’ll be back…#afteratoiletbreak #tdf
— Cadel Evans (@CadelOfficial) July 18, 2012
Not a bad effort to drag himself over 2 HC climbs and 1 Cat 1 climbs with a dodgey gut.
And one more thing for these people claiming he isn’t a champion. His palmarès.
Grand Tours
Tour de France
General Classification (2011)
2 Individual Stages (2007, 2011)
Giro d’Italia
Points Classification (2010)
1 Individual Stage (2010)
Stage Races
Critérium International (2012)
Tour of Austria (2001, 2004)
Tour de Romandie (2006, 2011)
Tirreno–Adriatico (2011)
Settimana internazionale di Coppi e Bartali (2008)
Single-Day Races and Classics
World Road Race World Champion (2009)
La Flèche Wallonne (2010)
Mountain Bike
1st Overall Mountain Bike World Cup (1998, 1999)
Someone tell me that a cyclist with that record isn’t a champion!
agree, 100% mate..
Wiggins ITT’s the Col’s on a 36 rear cog and behind another wheel.. Makes for ho hum racing. Bring back AC to ‘spice’ up the racing.
It’s a awful lot easier to kick someone when they are down, than to support through a bad day!! He’ll always be a champion in my books … but you already knew that! 😉
While sucking wheel around France for 21 days is a legit tactic, it’s far from entertaining.
At the same time, If TT’s are the Race of Truth, then surely Wiggo is the deserving winner so far in 2012? I share your feelings on Cadel – respectful of his riding, not his past behaviour so much – but I was desperately hoping he’d defend his title more effectively.
If we want to spice things up, give Froome his own team and let him call the shots. With decent support there’s barely a rider who could match his attacks.