Evans, Cadel (1977-…), in 2011, became the first Australian to win the Tour de France, the world’s most important men’s bicycle race. The Tour de France is a road race that is held over a three-week period each July. It always runs more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers), winding through France and neighboring countries before finishing in Paris. In his 2011 victory, Evans came from behind to take the lead on the next-to-last day of the race.
Evans started competing in the Tour de France in 2005. He finished second in the Tour in 2007 and 2008. He was leading during the 2010 race when an injury forced him to drop out. Evans’s Tour victory was only the third by a non-European cyclist since the race was first held in 1903. The other two non-European winners were Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong of the United States.
Cadel Lee Evans was born on Feb. 14, 1977, in Katherine in the Northern Territory. He began competing in cross-country mountain bike races in 1991. Mountain bikes have sturdy frames, multiple gears, and wide, knobby tires for extra traction. Most mountain bike races are held on dirt trails. Evans entered his first road race in 1994. He won the mountain bike world championships in 1998 and 1999 and the road racing world championship in 2009.
See also Tour de France .
