"When people ask me what my job is, I tell them honestly: to win the Tour de France. And that's what I have to concentrate on." Cadel Evans leads a new generation hoping to finish the world's biggest race wearing the maillot jaune. The runner-up in 2007 and 179 other riders are ready to open a new era on fascinating streets that lead the peloton from Brest in Brittany, over mountain passes and onward to the famed Champs-Elysées in the French capital.

"Things haven't fallen into place of late but sometimes that's not a bad thing at this time of year," observed Cadel Evans 10 days before the Criterium du Dauphiné Libéré, a week-long stage race in June. This was the final test before lining up for his fourth Tour de France. It seemed as though he was about to launch into an explanation of how a hint of tendonitis that had started to stir below his left knee was hindering his build-up. Then he clarified: "Sometimes little things slow your progress for a reason. But it's all coming together."

This is an excerpt of an interview in RIDE Media's Official Tour de France Guide 2008, available at newsagents now.

His comment came on the sixth anniversary of the day he wore the maglia rosa in the Giro d'Italia. This brief stint in the lead of his first Grand Tour alerted many to his potential. It was a moment of possible glory that turned into a spectacular collapse. He will hate seeing the topic raised once again and will, no doubt, ask: isn't it time to move on? Absolutely. But it's a story worth retelling because it confirms his opening statement.

Had Cadel not suffered 14 minutes of humiliation as he struggled to turn the pedals on the Passo Coe ascent in stage 17 of the 2002 Giro, things would be completely different now. Had he not lost 14 minutes in seven kilometres of climbing, he would have won the race. And had that happened, he would have been fast-tracked to a debut in the Tour. Sometimes little things slow your progress for a reason. Too true.

But now it is all coming together. He was forced to spend two years in limbo after he became what some called a "surprise leader" of the Italian three-week race. To those who knew him back then, however, it simply seemed like destiny catching up with him.



Since his teenage years it's been said that he possesses the potential to be the first Australian to win the Tour de France. And he almost did.

Last year only 23 seconds separated him from this forecast becoming a reality. If time bonuses awarded to stage winners hadn't existed in the 94th edition, Cadel's deficit would have been a paltry four seconds. It's interesting to note, although not relevant. All of us could put a clause in a sentence and conclude it by stating how different life would be.

Here are a few Tour related examples. Laurent Fignon would have won the title in 1989 if he'd had aerobars like those Greg LeMond used and the drag of his long hair blowing in the breeze hadn't slowed him down by eight seconds. Michael Rasmussen would have won the Tour last year if he hadn't been dishonest. Wim Vansevenant would have won the Tour in 2007 if 140 riders hadn't finished in front of him. And so on.

Cadel doesn't like talking about his collapse on the Coe, or why he hasn't won the Tour before, or if he will win it now.

He's working on the presumption that it's possible to create a bit of Australian sporting history. He has the support and all he can do now is wait for the race to start and give it his best shot. "The team is much more focused, dedicated and motivated, both on the side of the riders and the staff. The whole team is focused," he said. "We can win so let's try."

It's a pretty simple mission statement. The fundamentals of what's required for success are not complex either. The job description? Get around France faster than any other rider granted the privilege of racing on the same course at the same time. Being good enough to do just that is more complicated than most of us could possibly imagine. Thanks to the minor hiccups that have slowed his progress, Evans is aware that he can win the race. Before it was just talk. And hyperbole is something that irritates him now more than ever before.

"I just work towards the Tour. All I can do is race it and see what unfolds. What is said beforehand is nothing more than hearsay. I have to be in the race. I have to see who is good and to see how I feel, how the race evolves, before I can know exactly what direction it's going to take.

"I get the feeling people are looking at me like I'm a crystal ball and I know exactly what's going to happen."

He can ride a bike well. That's his main talent and thanks to this, the 31-year-old has become disciplined enough to do all the other things that contribute to a winning equation. He understands the importance of all the "little things". If you're going to win the Tour, nothing can be left to chance and there's no room for complacency. That could add up to 23 seconds, although he doesn't like to talk about this either.

Standing on the podium in Paris is what riders dream of. The chance that it may happen is a catalyst to bother with every element that needs to be considered. From training to diet to sleep and all else in between, it's all important. Yet when you believe you can win and you then finish second, even in the world's biggest race, it's an anticlimax. When he was in the centre of the Champs-Elysées, his mind was on other matters. Rather than recognise the impact he was having on a nation of recent converts to cycling, Cadel was thinking of pizza.

It was only when he returned home that the extent of what he'd achieved five months earlier started to sink in.

He's only in Australia briefly each summer but it's time the proud Australian relishes. The off-season lasts just a matter of weeks, less than the average worker's annual leave, and it's valuable time for recuperation. It didn't take long for Cadel to appreciate the appreciation many of his compatriots had of his achievements in France last July. And he promptly amended his schedule to include as many functions as possible.

His latest visit put him in the spotlight. He had special moments last summer such as carrying the Melbourne Cup onto the track at Flemington one Tuesday in November when there were a lot of people looking on. It exposed the bike to many who wouldn't otherwise care less about it.

It was another gesture by Evans that introduced people to cycling. That's what makes him proud. It motivates him. It's something he wants to keep doing because it's satisfying.

"I've always been a fan of cycling and I'd like to think that I can promote the sport a bit, particularly in Australia," is his reaction to the statement that his result affected people with Tour fever. "Personally, that's more satisfying to me than getting second at the Tour.

"The appreciation people have for our sport, and for my efforts in the Tour, was gratifying. You have to remember that second is not winning. For someone who is focused on doing well, second is not what you're after."

History suggests that the rider in second is often more popular than the winner. Jacques Anquetil's battles against Raymond Poulidor in the 1960s are what made the streets of France so fascinating for the locals. Although the race between the two champions was compelling, first place always went to the man who was far less revered by the public than the perennial runner-up. In French vernacular Poulidor retains meaning, but Anquetil equates to something for the record books.

Most of us have done a Poulidor at some time, being very good but falling short of the ultimate reward. If it were in the dictionary, that's how it would be described. Does it have noble connotations because of the sense of humility? Or is it just that more of us can relate to it? When it comes to Cadel, he appreciates being given the platform to voice his concerns although popularity is not his motivation. What he wants to do is be very good and, this year in particular, not fall short. Certainly not by a meagre margin like 23 seconds!

Read the full interview in RIDE Media's Official Tour de France Guide 2008, available at newsagents now.