Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) waves the Australian flag on the Champs-Elysées (Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
2007 Tour de France runner-up and 2008 ProTour champion Cadel Evans will head to Sydney at the end of this month to celebrate his year of success with the 'Tour de Cadel' and a visit to the Track World Cup.
On the morning of Sunday, December 2, Evans will lead hundreds of cyclists on the 'ultimate bunch ride' from North Sydney, across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and into Centennial Park. "I am still amazed at how many people have been congratulating me and who cheered me on from in front of their televisions back here in Australia during the Tour de France," said Evans, who has just returned from a short holiday and will soon be back in training to prepare for his assault on the 2008 Tour de France. "I'm really looking forward to catching up with the Sydney bunch and swapping stories."
All of the entry fees for the 'Tour de Cadel' will be donated to the David Peachey Foundation that assists indigenous children from rural and remote areas to pursue their sporting dreams and to provide them with support for their continuing education and development. "The David Peachey Foundation can make a real difference in the lives of these kids, and I want to help the Foundation achieve that," said Evans, who was born in the Northern Territory and spent his early years in an outback Australian settlement.
On Saturday, December 1, the night before the 'Tour de Cadel', the Australian and his Italian wife Chiara will host ten guests at the Sydney Track World Cup, where he will lend his support to the Australian riders vying for qualification points for the 2008 Olympic Games. Evans' guests will be the successful bidders in an eBay online auction also in support of the David Peachey Foundation. The auction gives ten fans the chance to enjoy an evening with Evans and witness the most gifted track cyclists in action at Dunc Gray Velodrome. At the Track World Cup, Evans will also put a group of National Rugby League (NRL) players, including David Peachey, through paces of a very different kind when they contest a 250m scooter race.
"The good news is Cadel's not making us ride up the French Alps and it's all good fun for a good cause," said Peachey of the novelty event scheduled during a break in World Cup racing action. "But that doesn't mean we all won't be trying to win because bragging rights will be on the line. I'm not sure what the real cyclists will make of us but I'm really looking forward to watching them in action."
