Cadel Evans will retire from cycling as a history maker whose career will forever be defined by two incredible climbing efforts.
While his 2011 Tour de France triumph made Evans a household name in Australia, it was an emphatic win at the 2009 world championships that signalled his arrival as true star of road cycling.
Amid lingering doubts over his ability get the job done in big races, Evans launched a bold solo attack up the Novazzano climb in Mendrisio, Switzerland to become Australia's first road race world champion.
In typically eccentric fashion, Evans didn't sit up to celebrate - even though he was well clear of the chasing pack.
Instead he shyly blew two kisses to the crowd after crossing the line.
Later, on the podium, he failed to hold back tears.
The world title meant Evans was assured his place as a great among cycling purists.
But it was the now 37-year-old's victory in cycling's showpiece event two years later that truly captured the attention of the Australian public.
Evans' Tour de France win was secured on Stage 18.
Following a long-range attack from Andy Schleck, a magnificent Evans single-handedly dragged the chasers up the Col de Galibier.
Without the help of other GC contenders, Evans simply put his head down and ground his way up the arduous climb and dropped many of his rivals, including Alberto Contador, in the process.
It was a beautiful ride that was widely praised partly because Evans was perceived as a clean rider.
In a sport that had been brought to its knees by doping scandal after doping scandal, the Australian's win in 2011 was almost cathartic.
Evans, born in 1977, achieved so many firsts.
He started out as a mountain biker and became the first Australian to win the cross-country world cup in 1998. He repeated in 1999.
The following year Evans switched to road cycling.
He won the Tour of Austria in 2001 before finding himself somewhat sidelined at Germany's Team Telekom in 2003 and 2004.
In 2007 he became the first Australian to stand on the Tour de France podium in Paris when he finished second overall to Contador by just 23 seconds.
Evans also won the year-long ProTour championship.
The Katherine-born rider finished second in the Tour in 2008, again by less than a minute.
This time it was another Spaniard - Carlos Sastre - who denied him.
Evans secured a podium finish at the Vuelta in 2009 when he finished third just weeks before becoming world champion.
In 2010 he won the La Fleche Wallonne classic to cement his stature as an accomplished one-day rider as well as a GC man.
He was third in the Giro d'Italia in 2013 and a superb stage win in the 2014 Tour Down Under had raised hopes he could add overall victory in the Giro to his long line of achievements.
Despite being withdrawn from the Tour de France by his team BMC to focus on the Italian event, Evans faded to finish eighth overall after a bright start in what many considered concrete evidence his best cycling days were behind.
Evans wasn't a pure climber - he was too chunky for that - but could grind out a tempo and limit his losses against the more attacking light-weight riders.
He then used his power in the time trials to make up lost ground.
As well as being a physiological freak, he was one of the craftiest tacticians in the modern peloton, capable of using his MTB-honed handling skills to attack on a descent or jump away in the final, twisty turns, of a race.
Evans' highly-introverted personality made it difficult to handle the spotlight at times.
He could be guarded and sometimes feisty but always passionate and fiercely competitive.
Evans departs the sport having left a lasting legacy that will inspire future generations of Australian cyclists.
CAREER OF AUSTRALIAN CYCLIST CADEL EVANS
Born: Katherine, Northern Territory
DOB: 14/2/77
1995 - Started international mountain biking career at the Australian Institute of Sport
1998 - Won cross-country event at Mountain Bike World Cup and before defending the title in 1999
2000 - Switched to road cycling full time
2001 - Won overall honours at Tour of Austria
2002 - Won road time trial at Manchester Commonwealth Games
2004 - Won Tour of Austria for second time
2005 - Joined Davitamon-Lotto and finished eighth in his first Tour de France
2006 - Won Tour de Romandie
2007 - Crowned champion of UCI ProTour
- Finished 2nd overall in Tour de France to become first Australian on the podium
2008 - Finished 2nd overall again at Tour de France
2009 - Became first Australian to win the road race world title
2010 - Moved to BMC Racing and won Fleche Wallonne
2011 - Became first Australian to win Tour de France general classifaction
- Also took overall honours in Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour de Romandie
2012 - Won GC at Criterium International
2013 - Finished third overall in Giro d'Italia
2014 - Won Giro de Trentino and finished 2nd at Tour Down Under
