Cadel Evans
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Date Posted:
June-7-2010 08:00
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Australia’s top-ranked cyclist talks training, his worst Tour experience and how to get around chafing.
First off, the question that’s on everyone’s lips: do you think you’ll ever win the Tour de France?
Well, I’m going to believe in myself, because if I don’t, I certainly never will [win it]. Next year, I want to improve on my second place – coming second twice by less than a minute isn’t that far from winning.
True enough. How did it feel when you first pulled on the yellow jersey in 2008?
I’d actually had a crash 24 hours earlier that was pretty big, so I had my worst Tour de France experience, then, a day later, my best. It was a bit of an emotional journey.
When you’re racing, do the spectators ever put you off?
Sometimes, but normally I’m quite focused. There’s a lot going on in the race – we’re riding close together, looking for that little gap to slip into to move up – let alone what’s going on outside if it. As long as you don’t actually run into them, it’s okay.
How do you train in the lead-up to the Tour?
Mountain passes, climbs and rides. I don’t normally do more than six hours a day, but I spend about 25 to 30 hours a week actually sitting there peddling the bike. Doing such a high volume of training means a lot of physiotherapy and injury deterrence.
So, you’re a fit man – how do you think you’d do in a professional marathon race?
I used to run a bit for cross-training – uphill I was fine, but on the flat? No technique.
Cadel reveals his training and diet tips...