Cadel Evans, Australia's most successful cyclist and the our only athlete to win both the Tour de France and the UCI World Championships Elite Men's Road Race, will be on his way to Wollongong for the upcoming World Championships in September in an ambassador role for the event.
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The Australian Hall of Fame member will make the trip down under from his current residence in Switzerland for the event.
Evans was officially unveiled this week an an official "Friend of Wollongong" ambassador, which is the official ambassador program for the event. With the UCI World Championships fast approaching, Wollongong is preparing to host only the second edition of the event held in Australia in its 100-year history, with the last edition of the event held Geelong in 2010.
All World Championship events are ridden by national teams, with the winner of each of the 11 categories entitled to wear the rainbow jersey in races of that category until the next World Championships, held in Glasgow in 2023.
Speaking to media for the announcement, Evans could hardly hold in his excitement for the pinnacle of cycling to be held in Wollongong, with all the eyes of the world fixated on the Illawarra.
Evans packed no punches when asked how the event compares to perhaps the more well-known events such as the Summer Olympic Games and the Tour de France, adding that the World Championships was such a crucial event.
"The UCI event within the cycling world is just huge. The honour of wearing the rainbow jersey in the group is something every cyclist dreams of. In comparison to the Olympics, I think within cycling, being able to wear the rainbow jersey and being able to represent the World Championships in some ways means more to cyclists that the Olympics. We all want to win a gold medal for our country but the World Championships, within cycling, is as important, if not a little more so than the Olympics. With the Tour de France it is a slightly different perspective because it simply goes on beyond the sport and it is certainly more well-known, but the UCI World Championships are extremely important," Evans said.
Over 1000 athletes are expected to compete in the World Championships and whilst the teams have not been selected as of yet, Evans did his best to predict who would line-up for Australia. Evans predicted both Moss Vale local Caleb Ewan, as well as Michael Matthews would be real chances to pick up the rainbow jersey. Whilst Ewan has had his struggles in 2022, Evans would not rule out the sprinting specialist and compared Ewan's current run with his own experience of poor form in the run in to winning the rainbow stripes in Mendrisio in 2009.
"Caleb has had a lot of bad luck with illness this year, getting sick just days out from some events. He could very well make it if he has a good day. Going back to my run in 2009, I wasn't having the best run of it before I ran a really good race in Mendrisio. I think if you look at the course, Michael Matthews could also do really well at. This course is made for him and I think he will be eyeing this Wollongong course with a lot of enthusiasm and he knows how to lead at the front at the elites. I think the course in Wollongong is certainly more suited to a one-day rider. The unpredictability of the course will just make it more suited to that type of cyclist, perhaps a rider such as Julian Alaphilippe would be a favourite to get the job done in Wollongong," he said.
Evans said he has been asked numerous times by his friends and colleagues in Europe as to what the course will be like in Wollongong. He said the hype for the event overseas is massive and he cannot wait for international cycling to return to Australia for the first time since the COVID era.
"The big thing over in Europe regarding the World Championships is everyone asking, what is the course in Wollongong like? The fact that riders can't go and look at it and the fact that we haven't had these international races in a few years makes the course a bit of an unknown. Everyone wants to win the World Championships of course and for these foreign riders coming to Australia to ride overseas, it will be an unknown for them. But it is exciting to be welcoming overseas cyclists to our side of the world again," he said.
Evans said that this event was simply huge for the Illawarra and added he hopes the World Championships inspire the next generation of Australian cyclists, whilst also adding in the things he is looking forward to most about the event.
"I hope that it brings through a new crop of young, aspiring Australian cyclists, that's the main thing that myself and race organisers in Australia are more excited about. The one thing about having the World Championships is that thought that continues long after the race has finished and that is, wow, the World Championships were raced on this road before. I think that legacy that it leaves is special for generations to come and the legacy it leaves as a cyclist stands forever. I certainly hope that for the people of Wollongong it leaves that mark on them for years to come. I think the thing I'm looking forward to the most is seeing the Sea Cliff Bridge on television, it's usually seen in plenty of ads but it's going to look great to create interest in the race. I can't wait to come back to my home and see international cycling return to Australia. Of course the last few years have been strange and everyone has had vastly different experiences but I'd like to think we're getting back to life post-COVID. I'm guessing the Australian cycling fans are missing international cycling here. From what I can understand people in the Illawarra will be really happy to have an event of this calibre on their doorstep. It really is a great six months of cycling here in Australia with the World Championships, the Tour Down Under, the Great Ocean Road Race all happening over summer one event after the other, it really feels like things are getting going again which is incredibly pleasing for not only world cycling but Australian cycling."
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