Australia's greatest cyclist admitted to frustration after finishing fifth in the inaugural Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
While rapt with the success of Sunday's race and pleased to make the front group for the finish, Evans had mixed emotions.
Belgian Gianni Meersman (Etixx Quick Step) won the pulsating 174km race ahead of Australians Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEDGE) and Nathan Haas (Cannondale-Garmin).
After making the key group of nine riders that decided the finish, Evans cramped in the last few hundred metres.
While he knew riders such as Meersman and Haas were better suited to the finish, Evans still wanted more.
"I was pretty frustrated ... the competitive instinct is certainly what has driven me for this last 20 years," he said.
"Trying to win the race was my main concentration.
"But I really had to remind myself - I have to enjoy it as well."
Evans was deservedly the centre of attention in his retirement race.
But as his career officially ended, there was little of the intense emotion that marked his landmark 2009 world road title and the historic 2011 Tour de France win.
"When I have a chance to reflect on things, I will probably have a chance to get emotional about it," he said.
Belgian rider and Extixx-Quick Step team member Gianni Meersman celebrates on stage with Cadel Evans after the Cadel Evans Ocean Road Race. Source: Getty Images
"But it's all happened so quick today - I'm trying to digest everything."
Evans also pointed out he wore several hats on Sunday - a competitor, someone who had a massive involvement in the event's creation, a retiring athlete and a local rapt to see the race go so well.
Wind and rain marked the hard race, with the result in doubt right to the end.
"Today was really like Belgium weather ... to be honest, I prefer better weather, but I won today, so I should be really happy with this weather," Meersman said.
Cannondale-Garmin splintered the peloton just before halfway with a withering attack in a crosswind and this set the tone for the rest of the race.
There were several crashes and Luxembourg's Laurent Didier (Trek) went to hospital with a suspected broken hand.
The race came down to the select group that formed on the last of three laps of a tough finishing circuit in Geelong.
Despite the poor weather, the riders praised the race and it attracted a big crowd.
Evans' last month of racing, which also featured the road nationals and the Tour Down Under, did not deliver a fairytale farewell win.
But he will leave the sport content he gave everything to the end.
"For me, this weekend is the end of one phase of my life and the start of another," Evans said.
"It's just perfect ... it's an honour and I'm very lucky."
