Cadel Evans became the first Australian to win the men’s world road championship at Mendrisio, Switzerland in September with one of the most impressive rides seen this year. His victory was the result of meticulous preparation and reconnaissance of the hilly, 13.2-kilometre circuit – covered 19 times for a total distance of 262km – and a blistering attack in the last five kilometres. Winning the gold medal also went some way to easing the disappointment of his 30th-place finish in this year’s Tour de France – having placed second in 2007 and 2008 – and his third in the Vuelta a Espana. That Evans, 32, made the podium in the three-week Spanish tour – the first Australian to do so – was another major achievement. Were it not for a slow neutral service on a flat tyre in the mountain stage to Sierra Nevada, which cost him 90 seconds, he may well have won the third biggest grand tour after the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. Evans’ strong season finish has reaffirmed the legitimacy of his credentials as a serious challenger to win next year’s Tour de France. Rupert Guinness
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