Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not since Australia II won the America's Cup in 1983 has there been so much hype and excitement over an Australian sporting win on the international stage. Many Australians all over the world sat glued to their social media outlets to track Cadel Evans on his path to Tour de France glory. As a nation we are used to winning; it is something we do very well for a country of our size. Losing generally is not an option. The Tour de France was, however, a sporting achievement yet to be accomplished by an Australian. Put on a pedestal with the likes of cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, tennis ace Evonne Goolagong Cawley and swimmer Ian Thorpe, Cadel Evans has successfully put Australians ahead of the game in yet another global sporting triumph.

Over a gruelling three weeks cycling more than 3,600 kilometres through the Pyrenees, Cadel crossed the line wearing the yellow jersey in Grenoble to become the first-ever Australian to do so. The final ride into Paris was one of excitement and joy not only for Cadel, his team and his family but also for a nation which wanted him to succeed so badly and finally fulfil his dream of winning, arguably, the world's most arduous and toughest sporting event. After being runner-up in the 2007 and 2008 editions of the Tour de France, Evans' 2011 triumph is a massive moment for the sport in Australia. The victory makes the 34 year old the oldest winner of the tour in the 88 years since Frenchman Henri Pelissier finished on top in 1923. Such has been the dominance of Europeans at the tour, Evans is only the third champion to have come from outside the continent's clutches. Paving the way for future Australian wins, Cadel has been described as the inspiration to the next generation of Australian cyclists to match his mighty feats. If it is anything to go by, Australians do not like to hand back their trophies. Once the title is in our country, we like it to stay here.

Since Cadel's win in July cycling clubs have been popping up all over the country. The love for one of the original modes of transport is taking over the streets. Many fine cyclists hail from my home town of Wagga Wagga: Paul Fellows, junior world individual bronze medallist in South Africa in 2008; Jamie Green, who won silver in the team sprint at the junior world championships in Italy in 2010, and Max Housden, the current national team sprint champion—all outstanding track riders. Road racers Josh Collingwood, Bill Robertson and Ashley Humbert will also be inspired by Cadel's feat. It will be especially significant for Collingwood, who in 1995 was junior world champion, Cadel finishing third in that particular event. For long time Wagga Wagga cycling coaches Barry O'Hagan and Bob Robertson, Cadel's win raises the profile of the sport they love and to which they have dedicated much of their spare time. The whole cycling community comes to a standstill during the staging of the Tour de France.

My electorate has its own version, the Tour de Riverina. This local race is a series of events held throughout my region bringing together some of the area's best and providing motivation and recognition for all competitors across the wonderful backdrop of the landscape that is the Riverina. Now in its ninth year, the Tour de Riverina has resulted in some exciting finishes, particularly those coincidentally in 2007 and 2008, when Cadel Evans went so close to winning the great French classic. Sport crosses all cultural, religious, age, gender and ethnic boundaries. It brings us together. Cadel Evans' Tour de France victory certainly united a nation. Well done to him.

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 1914, with the world on the brink of war, a Victorian named Don Kirkham teamed up with a friend, Ivan 'Snowy' Munro, to take the then very arduous task of travelling to Europe. But this was no ordinary trip: Kirkham and Snowy were the first-ever English-speaking competitors in one of the world's great sporting events, the Tour de France. From 143 starters in that year's race, only 54 finished, with Kirkham and Munro claiming 17th and 20th respectively. Not long after, the legendary Sir Hubert Opperman made the same journey, with 'Oppy' riding in 1928 to finish 12th and again in 1931, when he crossed the line in 18th position.

Those men inspired generations of cyclists. Fast-forward 50 years to Phil Anderson, known as Skippy in Europe, who became the first non-European to wear the leader's yellow jersey along the road in France. And fast-forward again to 2011, to last month, when a Victorian, born in the Northern Territory, became a national sporting hero and created worldwide headlines.

For the thousands that watched bleary-eyed on TV screens across the country through to the thousands that turned out in Melbourne last week to welcome Cadel Evans home, and the many who watched into the small hours, Cadel represents more than a wonderful Australian sporting victory. His win reached out to anyone who takes even a passing interest in bikes: from our phenomenally successful Cycling Australia elite athletes, to weekend warriors and kids on training wheels getting a push along down the driveway from mum or dad.

Cadel's win represented a number of milestones. Not only did he become the first Australian to win the tour, at 34 he was the oldest winner of the race in 88 years, something that may give my colleagues the members for Oxley and Parramatta—and perhaps even the Leader of the Opposition—something to aspire to. For those who saw those crucial stages of the race itself, sport doesn't get much more gripping—in the mountains, desperately hanging on under a fierce attack from his competitors, and then, in that final time trial, a picture of utter determination as, second by second, he wound back the lead of Andy Schleck. Then the final ride down the Champs Elysees, effectively a victory lap.

There is a tradition in the Tour de France known as the lanterne rouge. Translated literally as the red lantern, it is the moniker given to the rider finishing last in the tour. It is the person who never hits the headlines but one who is just as courageous as the winner. He shines a light along the road in order to see the way ahead.

For all the accolades Cadel has received, I am certain he would be the first to acknowledge that heroism stretches well beyond the peloton on the roads of France, and past the fields and courts on which our sporting idols ply their trade. To the everyday Australians carrying their own lanterne rouge, to the unsung heroes, champions from the fields of health, emergency services, law enforcement, environment and many more, Cadel's win in so many ways represents your achievements, encapsulating those very Australian traits of hard work, tenacity, staying in the race and simply giving it a red hot go. No one could fail to be inspired by those efforts of Cadel and other Australians in other fields.

Main Committee adjourned at 19:25