Cadel Wins Tour de France 2011

Cadel.jpgCadel Evans is set to become the first Australian to win the biggest cycling event on the planet when he rides into Paris later today. After being runner up twice in the past, Evans will be one step higher on the Tour de France podium and at the age of 34, he’ll be the oldest winner in 88 years.

The final day of racing is traditionally a procession into the capital of France to end three weeks of grueling racing.

Cadel ripped the Yellow Jersey off the shoulders of Andy Schleck in yesterday’s time trial with a blistering effort. He missed out on winning the stage by just a few seconds but his effort was more than enough to turn his 57 second deficit to Schleck into a 1 minute 34 second lead.

I had the honor of chatting with Cadel just a day or two after his switch to the BMC Team was announced in 2009. I asked him who would be runner up when he won the 2010 Tour de France. Unfortunately things didn’t go according to plan last year but it will be an emphatic win a year later. Cadel is a quietly spoken athlete who was a pleasure to interview. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people but my chat with Cadel will always be a highlight of my time in radio.

You can listen to my radio interview with Cadel by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

Lance Armstrong’s success in the world’s most watched annual sporting event helped to increase participation in the sport in the US. I’m sure that Cadel’s success will get more Aussies cycling in the coming years.



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Tour de France 2011

jerseys.jpgIt’s the most wonderful time of the year. The 2011 Tour de France begins later today at the Passage du Gois and I’m looking forward to watching another fascinating battle for yellow. Running from Saturday the  2rd to Sunday the 24th of July, the 98th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,430.5 kilometres. Even finishing the three week event requires a big effort from each of the 198 athletes who will be at the starting line later today.

Controversial three time winner Alberto Contador is looking to take his fourth Tour de France. The Shleck brothers will be there to shake things up with Andy a big hope for the podium. Ivan Basso returns and will be giving it all he’s got. Even Bradley Wiggins has been named as a possible winner and Alexander Vinokourov is sure to throw everything at the race. Personally, I’d love to see Australia’s Cadel Evans finally step onto the podium in Paris wearing yellow. He’s in great form and has a supportive team. I’m really hoping it’s Cadel’s turn.

What do the coloured jerseys mean?

If you have only started following the Tour de France recently and you’ve heard the commentators talking about different coloured jerseys, you might be wondering what all the different colours represent and why it’s so important to be wearing a jersey other than your team jersey.

Each team wears their own uniform but there are a number of special shirts or jerseys awarded each day. While it’s considered very prestigious to wear any of these jerseys throughout the race, it’s obviously even more so to be wearing one of these jerseys after the final sprint down the Champs-Élysées in Paris on the last day of the tour.

Many people know that the Yellow Jersey or Maillot Jaune is the most coveted of all the jerseys but here’s a quick rundown of what it’s all about.

Yellow Jersey

The Yellow Jersey is worn by the leader in the general classification. That means that whoever has the lowest overall time at the end of each stage of the event will be awarded with the Yellow Jersey. It was first awarded in 1919 and its colour was chosen to match the yellow paper of l’Auto magazine, founder of the Tour de France in 1903.

Green Jersey

The Green Jersey is given to the leader in the points classification, rewarding the best sprinter. It’s sometimes called the points jersey or sprinters’ jersey. During each stage, points are allocated for several intermediary sprints and for the finish. The jersey was introduced in 1953.

Polka Dot Jersey

The Polka Dot or King of the Mountains Jersey is awarded to the rider who earns most of the points at each summit. The winner is known as the King of the Mountains. Although the award was introduced in 1933, the red and white spotted jersey was not introduced until 1975.

White Jersey

The White Jersey is given to the best rider in the general classification under 25. The jersey was abandoned in 1989 but reintroduced in 1999.

So now you know a little more than you did a short while ago. I hope this brief explanation helps in your enjoyment of this year’s tour.

 



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Tour de France 2010

jerseys.jpgIt’s the most wonderful time of the year. The 2010 Tour de France begins later today in Rotterdam and I’m looking forward to watching another fascinating battle for yellow. The 2010 Tour de France runs from the 2nd to the 25th of July.

Lance Armstrong came back to the tour last year and now says that this is his final ever attempt at the race. Can he bring up number eight? Two time winner Alberto Contador is looking to take his third. The Shleck brothers will be there to shake things up with Andy a big hope for the podium. Ivan Basso returns after a three year absence and will be giving it all he’s got. Even Bradley Wiggins has been named as a possible winner. Personally, I’d love to see Australia’s Cadel Evans finally step onto the podium in Paris wearing yellow. He’s in great form and has a supportive team. I’m really hoping it’s Cadel’s turn. (Listen to my radio interview with Cadel from November last year by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.)

What do the coloured jerseys mean?

If you have only started following the Tour de France recently and you’ve heard the commentators talking about different coloured jerseys, you might be wondering what all the different colours represent and why it’s so important to be wearing a jersey other than your team jersey.

Each team wears their own uniform but there are a number of special shirts or jerseys awarded each day. While it’s considered very prestigious to wear any of these jerseys throughout the race, it’s obviously even more so to be wearing one of these jerseys after the final sprint down the Champs-Élysées in Paris on the last day of the tour.

Many people know that the Yellow Jersey or Maillot Jaune is the most coveted of all the jerseys but here’s a quick rundown of what it’s all about.

Yellow Jersey

The Yellow Jersey is worn by the leader in the general classification. That means that whoever has the lowest overall time at the end of each stage of the event will be awarded with the Yellow Jersey. It was first awarded in 1919 and its colour was chosen to match the yellow paper of l’Auto magazine, founder of the Tour de France in 1903.

Green Jersey

The Green Jersey is given to the leader in the points classification, rewarding the best sprinter. It’s sometimes called the points jersey or sprinters’ jersey. During each stage, points are allocated for several intermediary sprints and for the finish. The jersey was introduced in 1953.

Polka Dot Jersey

The Polka Dot or King of the Mountains Jersey is awarded to the rider who earns most of the points at each summit. The winner is known as the King of the Mountains. Although the award was introduced in 1933, the red and white spotted jersey was not introduced until 1975.

White Jersey

The White Jersey is given to the best rider in the general classification under 25. The jersey was abandoned in 1989 but reintroduced in 1999.

So now you know a little more than you did a short while ago. I hope this brief explanation helps in your enjoyment of this year’s tour.



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Dear Cadel

Rodney Olsen and Cadel EvansJust a few lines to ask you to do me a big favour. Over the next few weeks please try your very hardest to stand on the top step of the podium in Paris.

I know I don’t really have to ask you. You always put 100% into whatever race you’re riding. It’s just that you’ve come so close before but never quite made it. Well not yet but that could all change in the coming days. Some of my friends say that you’ll never wear yellow in Paris but I really believe you can.

Remember when I interviewed you on radio last year? It was only a day or so after you switched to BMC. I asked you who would be runner up when you win the 2010 Tour de France. Of course I was just having a bit of fun but in a real sense I truly meant it. I really would love to see you become the first Aussie to ever win that amazing race.

As I stay up late over the next three weeks I’ll be willing you to win with every fibre of my being. You’ve got some very tough competition but you’re in amazing form, you’ve got a better team than ever before and you’re the current World Road Cycling Champion. This is your year.

If it doesn’t happen ….. well, no ….. let’s not even start thinking that way. I’ll just say that win, lose or draw, I’ll be right behind you and I’m sure that I won’t be the only one.

Yours sincerely,

Rodney

(The 97th Tour De France runs from Saturday the 3rd to Sunday the 25th of July. You can hear my interview with Cadel Evans from November last year by clicking the play button on the audio player below.)



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Can Cadel Still Win?

tour_de_france_logo.jpgI’m conflicted. Every fibre of my being wants to see Australia’s Cadel Evans peg back the three minutes he needs to stand in yellow on the podium in Paris but I know that it’s incredibly unlikely.

Being a few seconds outside the time of the leaders is one thing, but being 2:59 down from names like Armstrong and Contodor makes the task almost impossible. Cadel is a great climber but we’ve never seen any evidence that he is good enough to put three minutes or more into the other climbers that stand between him and the yellow jersey.

The wheels came off Cadel’s campaign to win the 2009 Tour de France in the team time trial where his team was well and truly outclassed by the teams of the other favourites.

Thankfully Cadel hasn’t given up on his hopes of winning and if there’s an opportunity to do something spectacular, he’s still in the right frame of mind to take advantage of whatever situation might arise.

I’ve never been in this position at the Tour de France ahead of the mountains stages, so we’ll see what happens, but I’m feeling good. The Tour is not over for me yet.

So to the question, can Cadel Evans still win the 2009 Tour de France, I’d have to answer it’s not a big possiblity, but there’s still a flickering flame of hope, and I’ll be cheering him on whatever position he’s in when the peleton reaches the streets of Paris.



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