Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to add my congratulations to Cadel Evans on his outstanding, unprecedented achievement in winning the 2011 Tour de France. Since the establishment of the Tour de France in 1903, 98 different cyclists have won the race. Almost exclusively, they come from continental Europe. There are two Americans who have won, Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong, and now the first Australian to win, Cadel Evans, has added his name to that prestigious list.

There are a number of Australians who have distinguished themselves in the Tour de France but never won the general classification. Sir Hubert Opperman, the federal Liberal MP for Corio for 17 years—from 1949 to 1966—rode the Tour de France in 1928, and it is fair to say that his Malvern Star would be light-years away from the space age bikes they ride today. Phil Anderson was the first Australian and actually the first non-European to wear the yellow jersey in 1981, and he wore it for nine days in 1982. I can remember visiting France in 1993, when he was still riding the tour, and having conversations with people in rural France who spoke very fondly of 'Skippy', the Australian they knew who rode the Tour de France. Stuart O'Grady has finished second in the points classification for sprinters of the Tour de France on four occasions. Robbie McEwen is a three-time winner of the points classification for sprinters of the Tour de France and has won several stages of the race.

To win the Tour de France, you have to be an exceptional all-round rider. You have to be able to climb, you have to be able to sprint, you have to be good on the road, you have to be good in the mountains. But you also need a very good mind; you need to be able to implement tactics and strategy. If ever we had an Australian who was likely to win the Tour de France, it was Cadel Evans. He has shown over a long period of time how good he is on the bike. In 1998 and 1999, he was first overall in the mountain bike World Cup, the equivalent of the world champion. In the Tour de France he has had high placings: in 2005, he was eighth; in 2006, he was fourth; and, in 2007 and in 2008, he came second—very close, one of the closest runners-up in the history of that race. In 2009 he won the Road World Championships road race. Watching this year's Tour de France, it was one of the most captivating cycling races I have ever seen. Going into the three-week race, for the first two weeks anything that happened it looked like Cadel Evans had the other riders' measure. The race was completely shaken up in the last four or five days when Andy Schleck took off in the Alps and made two or three minutes on the rest of the pack. In responding to that the next day, Cadel Evans had to deal with mechanical failure but with his team he was able to see that he lost no further time on that stage. It is usually said that the Tour de France is won in the mountains but, while Cadel remained in touch in the mountains, he won it in the time trial right at the very end.

As a South Australian member, one of the great benefits of being South Australian is the exposure we get to professional cycling. It was the idea of former Premier John Olsen and also Olympic champion Mike Turtur that we establish a road race in South Australia, the Tour Down Under. It was established in 1999 and it achieved pro tour status. Over the 13 years that it has been held so far we have seen that race going from strength to strength and most of the professional cyclists have appeared at that race. When Lance Armstrong came in 2009 and 2010, and I think 2011, it took the race to another level. The crowds have been massive. I think it was 780,000 people that turned out on the roads to watch this race. Cadel Evans has raced the Tour Down Under as well. In 2002 he won a stage. He won the mountains classification, such as they are in South Australia, in 2006. I well remember taking my family to watch the race up Willunga Hill and watching Cadel Evans and other cyclists of his calibre charging up Willunga Hill.

Cadel has said that he has not made a decision yet about whether he will attend the Tour Down Under and we cannot be selfish because it may not fit with his program and his training and what he wants to achieve next year, which is much more important. But I know that when he does next appear at the Tour Down Under the crowds will actually rival those which saw Lance Armstrong.

I should also congratulate SBS on their magnificent coverage of the Tour de France. Fifteen years ago watching the Tour de France was probably a bit of a niche activity; it was not as widely watched as it is now. I think over the last three or four years they have seen their coverage double each year. Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin come to South Australia every year for the Tour Down Under, where instead of commenting on French chateaux they are commenting on the South Australian vineyards and pointing them out as people go around the tour. The SBS coverage has been compelling and very insightful, and Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin always find something interesting to inform the general viewer about what is going on in the race.

I would like to congratulate Cadel Evans. He is a magnificent Australian and his is really a fantastic achievement and one we should all be very proud of.

Andrew Leigh (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak of a truly Australian story, of a man whose courage, strength and pure determination embodies the Australian spirit. Through Cadel Evans and his spectacular win in the Tour de France, the world's toughest endurance race, all Australians can be truly proud. Cadel Lee Evans was born in Katherine in the Northern Territory, and he spent the first four years of his life in the tiny Arnhem Land Aboriginal community of Barunga, 80 kilometres outside Katherine. When the locals saw him pedalling around town on his BMX, none of them probably foresaw his triumphant rise to the top of the cycling world and his elevation to the pantheon of Australia's great sporting heroes. Evans has lived all across this great land, from the dusty outback to the urban metropolis of Melbourne. He is an everyman, someone whom all Australians can aspire to be.

He describes himself as having been 'completely unsuitable for almost all Australian school sports' while at school, but, despite his small stature and lack of speed, he persevered with cycling. He was originally a rising star of the mountain-biking world, having competed at the junior world championships and finished second. Assisted by his coach, Aldo Sassi, Evans then switched to road racing and continued to excel.

When I was in high school I competed in some triathlons, but it is my brother, Tim Leigh, who is the avid cyclist of the family. He has followed Cadel Evans's journey from the beginning. He is the kind of person from whose bleary eyes you can always tell when the Tour de France is on. I know Tim celebrates the fact that an Australian has finally won his favourite race, the Tour de France, as does Josh Orchard, a sports fan who interned in my office this week and assisted with this speech. I use this chance to pay tribute to the many local cyclists in my electorate who have been inspired by Cadel Evans's win, including Dan Ashcroft, Damien Hickman and Tony Shields, and to the work locally of Pedal Power ACT, an organisation which is campaigning for better bike paths for all Canberra cyclists.

Cadel Evans first tasted success in the tour of Austria in 2001 and again in 2004 as well as in a Commonwealth Games time trial victory in 2002. He followed this up with impressive performances in other road races, including our very own Tour Down Under in the Adelaide Hills. I think that pretty much everyone expected he would go on to compete for cycling's greatest and most challenging prize, the Tour de France.

In 2006, Evans rode his first tour. While noted by many cycling enthusiasts as Australia's greatest hope, his first tour did not garner the media attention now showered upon him. His strong performance ensured that his 2007 campaign was watched by millions of Australians willing him along the road. We experienced the highs and lows of the day's stages and the eventual heartbreak that Evans must have felt after racing for over 90 hours to fall just 23 seconds short of Alberto Contador. After a disappointing race in 2008, Evans regrouped for the next year. However, in 2009, Evans again fell painfully short of the grand prize, finishing second in a strong performance. In 2010, Evans suffered a hairline fracture in his elbow and had to halt his campaign.

This year millions of Australians tuned in to the characteristically excellent tour coverage provided by SBS. We watched Evans battle through the tour as he constantly chased down breakaways, especially on the 19th stage in the French Alps, where Evans launched a stunning fightback after mechanical problems caused him to fall more than two minutes behind. We cheered and we cried when Evans demolished the penultimate stage—a time trial—and took the lead, and we cheered and cried even more as he cycled into Paris. We watched as the man pulled on that yellow jersey and took his place on the podium. For the first time, an Australian had won the Tour de France.

At 34, Cadel Evans is the oldest tour winner in the post-war era. In his acceptance speech, Evans dedicated his win to his late mentor, Aldo Sassi, who died of cancer in 2010 and was the very man who had helped convert Evans to road racing. Evans is a champion of sport, not only because of his success but also because of his perseverance and determination. Even when he has fallen behind, he has refused to give up. In a sport sometimes tainted by doping, Evans refused to accept anything less than a clean win in the greatest tour of them all. He defied age and he defied expectations. He embodies the Australian spirit: a spirit to win, to play fair and to be a proud yet gracious winner.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mia Freedman, whose columns I often enjoy reading on Sundays, has questioned whether it is appropriate to describe Cadel Evans as an Australian hero. When achieving something that no-one else has done before, as Strzelecki did when climbing to the peak of Mount Kosciusko, their efforts do elevate them in the eyes of their countrymen. The only reason Strzelecki would not be called an Australian hero was that he was Polish, but certainly his achievements made him an Australian icon. Cadel Evans has not climbed Mount Kosciusko, but by becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France and by becoming the oldest winner in postwar times at the age of 34 Cadel Evans has climbed Mount Everest.

Cadel Evans was 14 when he first announced his goal of winning the Tour de France; 20 years later he became the first Australian to win the most prestigious prize in cycling. While it is 20 years since a young Cadel voiced his desire to win the tour, it is only 10 years since Cadel switched from mountain biking to road cycling at the urging of the late Aldo Sassi, in part to put Cadel in the position to enter the prestigious grand tours of cycling like the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. It was in the latter that the previous two-time winner of the mountain biking world cup made his mark first in road cycling, briefly holding the magella rose or pink jersey in the 2002 tour.

Fast forward four years to 2006 when Cadel put himself in the running to win the Tour de France, finishing fourth. The next year he improved his position but came up just short, finishing a heartbreaking 23 seconds behind the winner, Alberto Contador, in second place. He repeated this result in 2008, finishing second this time to Carlos Sastre. In July this year, Cadel finally reached the summit, holding the leader's yellow jersey through to the final stage of the Tour de France and winning cycling's Everest. Cadel's magnificent victory came just 30 years after the groundbreaking ride of fellow Australian Phil Anderson, who became the first non-European to hold the leader's yellow jersey, a feat Anderson repeated for nine days the following year.

I am pleased to take this opportunity to add my voice to that of the parliament in congratulating Cadel Evans on his great historic achievement. His inspiring efforts and courage are a fine example of what can be achieved if you follow your goals and believe. Cadel will shape a generation of Australians with his courage.

Now we are seeing the phenomenon known as the Cadel effect. Just three weeks after his triumph on the roads of Paris, bicycle stores across the nation have sold out of many lines of stock and cycling clubs are being inundated with new members. None of this is surprising. Cadel is a hero who has made a contribution to Australia by inspiring our youth and genuinely showing them that if you have a dream and if you are prepared to make the sacrifices and if you are prepared to work towards it you can succeed. This is the message that Cadel Evans sends out to young Australians and this is why our nation salutes his efforts.

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I realised just two days ago that I think I am finally recovering from the Tour de France. Like many Australians, I was up very late night after night after night—I missed only one stage. It is the same every year, and has been for many years now, and it takes me quite a while to recover—not that my effort was anywhere near as significant as those that actually rode it. I have been watching the tour now for many years and Cadel's victory was particularly sweet not just because an Australian won it but because Cadel won it—and I have been a fan now for many years. Even if he had not won it this time, I have still enjoyed some of the most extraordinary racing in watching Cadel over recent years.

It is worth reminding people who have not been following Cadel of who this man is. Even ignoring the win in 2011 in the Tour de France, this is one of our most extraordinary bike riders. He is the only bike rider to have won the world championship on a mountain bike and on a road bike. He won his first mountain bike world championship in 1998. By that stage, he had already been second in the mountain bike world championship as an under 19 in 1993, he had been third in the individual time trial juniors world championship as an under 19 in 1995 and he had won the Australian mountain bike championship in 1996. So he already had a substantial career. He won the world championship in 1998 and again in 1999. I have to say that the smile he finally gave after he won—after that look of slight punch drunkenness, I would have to say—was amazing. He looked totally stunned for a while and then someone said something and then a smile emerged on Cadel's face. It was the first time that I had seen Cadel smile that way since he first won that mountain bike championship so many years ago. It was a smile of pure joy after the effort that he had put in for all of those years to reach that level.

After the world mountain bike championship, he turned to the road. In 2002, he was first in the individual time trial in the Commonwealth Games. And I am really only reading the highlights here. There are lists of wins every year for Cadel. He was first and King of the Mountains in the Tour Down Under in 2003. He was first in the Tour of Austria in 2004. He was eighth overall in the Tour de France in 2005. For those of us who were watching back then, a top 10 performance by an Australian was extraordinary. In 2006, he was first overall in the Tour de Romandie and he was fourth overall in the Tour de France. He was again King of the Mountains in the Tour Down Under. In 2007 and in 2008, he was second, as we know, in the Tour de France. In 2009, he won the world championship on the road, an extraordinary effort. He was the first Australian to win that one, by the way, and the first cyclist ever to win them both. In 2010, he defended his world championship rainbow jersey in Geelong in one of the most extraordinary races I have seen for a long time. He did not win but the courage that he showed in defending that jersey in 2010 in the breakaway in the last kilometres of the race was absolutely astonishing.

That reminds me of one of the things that I really like about Cadel: he honours the sport and he honours the jersey that he wears. I admire Cadel so much for the way that he rides when he cannot win—when that possibility is over and when the only person he is racing is himself. We saw that in 2010 when he was wearing the yellow jersey and crashed in stage 8. Then in stage 9 he rode up the cul de Madeleine in the yellow jersey, lost the yellow jersey and fell back to the peloton and was dropped on the mountain stage, which is not like Cadel. His management said later that even though he knew by that stage that he had fractured his elbow in the crash the day before he did not feel that it was right to say so while he was wearing the yellow jersey. He honoured that jersey until he lost it, and then the story came out that he had fractured his elbow.

I do not think any of us can imagine what it is like to ride up a mountain with a fractured elbow. But I really cannot understand what it is like to ride down a mountain with a fractured elbow. It was interesting hearing him talk about that descent again in the interviews that he did after he won this year. He picked up quite a bit of time down that same descent this year. He commented that last year he found it very scary because he had fractured his elbow. For those of you who ride a bike, when you watch how hard they brake on those corners you understand how extraordinarily frightening that must have been. This is a man of extraordinary courage who has found a capability in himself that most of us can only imagine.

People say that you win the Tour de France in the mountains, but you actually win it with perfect preparation day after day, year after year. One of the enduring images for me from the whole coverage of the Tour this year was an image of the primary school he went to as a child. The kids there had obviously been following the race and they had created a fold-out/cut-out figures. You know: where you fold a piece of paper up and then you cut the half of the body out and when you unfold it there is a row of figures. They had painted them; there were nine of them. There were four red ones, one yellow one and four red ones. And that is of course Cadel riding in the middle of his BMC team as they rode of that last stage in the front of the peloton. Because it is a team event, I am going to name the team members who gave such incredible support to Cadel in the Tour de France. They were: Brent Bookwalter from the USA, Marcus Burghardt from Germany, Cadel Evans from Australia, George Hincapie—that extremely tall incredible rider from the USA—Amael Moinard from France, Steve Morabito from Switzerland, Ivan Santaromita from Italy, Manuel Quinziato from Italy and Michael Schar from Switzerland. I am sure I did not get those pronunciations right. They were the largely invisible men that were there around Cadel making sure he was safe in the peloton, making sure that he stayed out of trouble and pulling him back into the peloton when he had those mechanical problems on the mountains in the last stage.

There are also a number of Australian riders who should be mentioned in all of this. We had some of the most extraordinary Australian riders in recent years in the Tour de France. We missed Robbie McEwen and Mick Rogers this year. I was very sad not to see Robbie there. Robbie has been one of the joys for those of us who have watched Australians in the Tour de France for many years, seemingly riding without a team and emerging out of nowhere to win stage after stage after stage.

I watched Robbie once down in the criteriums in Geelong. As a bit of a distance athlete myself, every time I see a sprinter suddenly increase the speed of their pedalling my whole body asks how they do that. It is so far from what I am as a past athlete. Robbie is one of the Australian greats and I absolutely admire and respect the way he rode his career for as long as he continued to enjoy it. Robbie, even at the later stages of his career, was still in there as a contender in the final metres of each stage of the Tour de France. An extraordinary rider. Mick Rogers was not there. Mick is perhaps one of our riders who did not achieve what he could have. Back in 2006 and 2007 he was a very real tour contender. In fact, he was a favourite back in those years but crashed badly in 2007 and this took him out of the tour. Again, an extraordinary rider.

Stuart O'Grady, of course, was there. He has been there year after year, often in the front, for kilometre after kilometre, leading—a contender. He is an extraordinary rider. He has now signed with the new Australian team GreenEDGE along with a few rising stars: Jack Bobridge and Cameron and Travis Meyer. We are likely to see them in the tour next year as our first Australian team. Mark Renshaw was there. It is always a pleasure to see Mark, known as the best lead-out man in the game, leading out Mark Cavendish—and making it, I think, much easier for Mark Cavendish by the way. I think Mark is one of the extraordinary gifts to that team. And Richie Porte, who I understand was once a triathlete, was there. I know that every time a triathlete turns up to race with us on Sunday mornings the race organisers warn us that there is a triathlete in the bunch and we look to see who it is and make sure we get in front of them before the corners. I do not think Richie Porte has that problem. I think he has made the transition unbelievably well and he is one of the rising stars in road racing.

It was a great tour overall for Australians. I should also mention Simon Gerrans, who was the first Aussie to win a stage of the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana. He is again an extraordinary talent who, while we were all watching Cadel, we might have missed actually win a stage in the 2011 Tour de France. I would also like to acknowledge Aldo Sassi, who was the former coach and mentor of Cadel. I did not know him personally but I would like to thank him, through his family, for sharing a part of his life with Cadel. He was obviously a great contributor to the way that Cadel thinks and rides and I would like to acknowledge that.

It was an extraordinary event. It was one of great joy to watch. I wish Cadel all the best. I hope we see him again. I know we expect to see him again, defending is yellow jersey next year and we should all know from the character of Cadel that he will honour that jersey and defend it with everything that is in him for every day from now until then. He said a week ago that the preparation for next year's tour begins the day after the last one and we should know from this man that he will put everything into that for every day and we will see him absolutely honour that jersey next year. I wish him all the best. We will all be watching it again. Maybe he can do it again; maybe he cannot. Whatever way it goes, we will see an Australian athlete give absolutely everything up to the last moment.

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to recognise Cadel Evans's outstanding achievement in winning the 2011 Tour de France. For most professional cyclists, winning the Tour de France means reaching the pinnacle of their sport. It is the equivalent of a footballer winning either a soccer or rugby World Cup, a tennis player winning Wimbledon or a golfer securing the US Masters. This year's Tour de France was held over 21 stages and covered 3,430 kilometres. Many of these stages involved extremely steep climbs and challenged the endurance and strength of all competitors.

Prior to this year's event Cadel had already established himself as an elite cyclist. In his early years he was a mountain bike rider, who won silver medals at the 1997 and 1999 under-23 world championships and bronze medals at the 1995 junior world road time trial championship and junior world mountain bike championship. In the summer of 2000, Cadel switched to road cycling full time but it was in 2006 that he arrived on the world stage of the Tour de France. In 2006 he finished fourth in the tour, which in itself was an outstanding achievement. In 2007 he went two better when he finished second and was named Australian cyclist of the year. The following year, 2008, he again finished runner-up in the Tour—a major achievement in its own right but still just short of cycling's major prize.

After the 2007 and 2008 results his supporters hoped that 2009 would be his year. However, despite winning the 2009 men's world championship road race in Mendrisio, Switzerland, he struggled in the Tour later that year. It was a tremendously disappointing result which was compounded in 2010 when he again finished well down the field. As a result, in the lead-up to the 2011 event there were some detractors. Despite his finishing runner-up on two previous occasions, some experts wondered whether Cadel was past his best. At 34 years of age some experts questioned whether Cadel was too old to win one of the planet's premier sporting events. But he stared down his detractors with a display of cycling which is now part of Tour de France history. Indeed, those who watched Cadel Evans over the final days of this year's Tour were treated to some of the most outstanding cycling in Australia's history.

On the Friday evening Australian time, Cadel overcame mechanical failure to stay within reach of the leaders and set up an absorbing match race in Saturday's time trial. Starting the last full day of competition almost one minute behind the leader, Cadel showed the strength and determination which have been the hallmark of his cycling career. He finished second overall in the time trial to smash his opponents and secure a remarkable victory. Cadel's victory will inspire many of the current crop of young cyclists as they make their journey through the international ranks. He has demonstrated that if you have the focus and commitment you can win a Tour de France, regardless of where you are from. The victory is also a boon for cycling in general across Australia. Whether it is kids riding to school, adults riding on a Sunday or competitors seeking to improve their results, Cadel Evans's achievements are certainly an inspiration to all cyclists. As someone who cycles regularly, it was of great interest to me to see Cadel Evans's victory and the impact on the sport.

Of course there will be ongoing debate from the sporting pundits over whether Cadel Evans's victory is Australia's greatest sporting achievement.. He is up against some strong competition from the likes of Bradman, Cathy Freeman, John Bertrand and the crew of Australia II and a host of other champions. But the fact is that victory in the Tour de France is considered in the context of a huge international event.

The Coffs Coast area of my electorate has a history of association with some of Australia's most elite sports men and women. Triathlete Emma Moffatt, rugby league player Greg Inglis and cricketer Philip Hughes are three of the more well-known athletes who are currently competing at the top level of their respective sports. But there are many others who have once called the Coffs Coast their home before pursuing their international careers, and I am proud to say that Cadel Evans is one of those great sports people. In the 1980s he attended Woolgoolga High School and worked at the local cycling shop, Woody's Wheels. Cadel's father, Paul, still lives at Corindi just north of Woolgoolga. One can only try to comprehend how proud he must have felt when he watched his son win the yellow jersey on that Saturday night and become the first Australian to win cycling's Holy Grail. Although Cadel moved from our area when he was quite young, many local people still remember the promising young cyclist who enjoyed what our region had to offer. But, regardless of whether they met him or not, the fact is that north coast residents have all been thrilled by Cadel Evans's achievements. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly congratulate Cadel on winning the Tour de France. As much as the victory is his to savour, I know that many of my constituents celebrate in connection with his great effort on the world stage.

Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Go Cadel—allez, allez! I want to pay tribute to and congratulate Cadel Evans on winning the greatest bike race in the world, the Tour de France. It is the most difficult and complex physical endurance race anywhere in the world and by any measure a truly heroic and great sporting achievement. What Cadel Evans has achieved ranks alongside any other great sporting champion in Australia—or, for that matter, the world. Cadel, of course, is the first Australian to win the Tour de France and also the oldest person as a first-time winner ever at age 34, which is an incredible feat in itself.

In the history of the tour there have only been riders from 10 other nations that have ever won and that places Australia very high on that list of cycling achievement. The Tour de France is undoubtedly the most well known and most widely followed cycling event in the world, and this year was undoubtedly the best ever followed by Australian audiences. It is much larger than the world of cycling as an event—it is one of the world's most prestigious sporting events—with a long and difficult road not just in terms of the tour itself but for the journey for those who embark on the race.

Cadel's efforts in winning the tour cannot be overstated by any measure. In terms of remarkable sporting victories by Australians some commentators are ranking it alongside Cathy Freeman's gold medal at the Sydney Olympics and Kieren Perkins's famous swimming wins. Some have even likened Cadel to the great Don Bradman. Cadel Evans may be a humble man and a little embarrassed I think by all the attention, but in our view he is a great sporting hero—somebody who has achieved greatness through sheer hard work and gritty determination in true Australian spirit.

I know—and I suspect that Cadel understands, or I hope he understands—that he shares this victory with all Australians, not just cycling fans but with all Australians. What amazed me this year were the phone calls, the emails and comments from people who had never followed a cycling race in their life, but they just understood how important this was.

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A bit like the America's Cup!

Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, a bit like the America's Cup—exactly. This is something truly great for Australia, great for Cadel and great for cycling. Cadel's victory is a victory for every Australian and particularly every Australian rider who has ever travelled to Europe to create a future at the top of the cycling tree to eventually have one day an Australian winner—people like Phil Anderson, Stuart O'Grady, Neil Stephens, Bradley McGee, Robbie McEwen, Baden Cooke and Simon Gerrans just to name a few great Australian riders. Another great Tour de France rider to make a huge contribution was Stephen Hodge, who is based here in Canberra and is a great friend to so many people here. All of these riders had the belief that a small country so far away from the focus of elite cycling in Europe could one day win this very difficult and great event, and after so many years, so much hard work, we can all be rewarded by the win of Cadel.

The Tour de France commenced in 1903. It has a great history and a great tradition but it was only the 98th tour this year, because it did have some short breaks—interrupted, of course, only by war. The race lasts for an incredible three weeks. This year it covered more than 3,430 kilometres in 21 stages. It is a long way to push a bicycle. Every year many Australians who are not necessarily dedicated cycling fans actually sit up all night to watch the tour. Many actually travel to France and enjoy the circus that is the Tour de France. They marvel at the pace of the riders, their endurance, their determination, their sheer guts, particularly through the mountain stages, which are complete spectacle. It is something that is quite incredible.

While there have been many great Australians who have competed in the tour and won individual stages, there has never quite been a competitor like Cadel Evans who was ever rated with a serious possibility of winning the tour. For many people it just seemed impossible—how could a small country like Australia so far away in terms of the competitive level of cycling ever possibly compete? That was, of course, until the world heard of Cadel Evans and the bloody mindedness I think of somebody determined that nothing would ever get in the road of achieving that. I read a piece where he said that he had been dreaming of this for 20 years, ever since he was 14 years old—that one day he would win the greatest bike race in the world, the Tour de France. Of course, he is a high-achieving rider—he has not just won this race—but for many this is the pinnacle. This was Cadel's seventh attempt in a long and successful career in a whole range of other global cycling competitions, as we have heard from other speakers. All Australians know that he came very close to winning the Tour de France on a number of occasions, and twice in a row he came second. While that in itself is a phenomenal feat, it must be a huge disappointment to have worked so hard for so long and to have given 100 per cent of everything you could possibly give on every moment of the ride. Given that you are riding about 3½ thousand kilometres, with the possibility of mechanical breakdowns and flat tyres, and the fact that anything that possibly can go wrong will go wrong, to win consistently and finish in No. 1 place is a phenomenal feat.

This year was Cadel's year and, like many other people, I watched, sitting at the edge of my seat, gritting my teeth and biting my nails, thinking the closer and closer he got the more that, potentially, something could go wrong for him, even the fact that he could just have a bad day, if nothing else. He could have slipped going round a corner. As we saw, you can get knocked off your bike by an overexcited media guy in a car. There are just so many possibilities for things to go wrong.

He was well placed right throughout the ride. He had a great team and everyone did a remarkable job. Right through, with all the attacks he sustained, the pressure and the different strategies that apply in this very complex race, Cadel maintained a cool head, a great strategy and an incredible feat of athleticism. When he was within striking distance of the best riders and the best climbers in the world you just knew that he could do it, that this was it, that this was Cadel's year. It was an incredible feat.

Of course, as we all saw on the penultimate stage, Cadel put in probably one of the greatest stage rides of the Tour history. He rode like a man possessed and at an incredible pace, something that I do not think any of us have seen for a very long time. There are some great stages and great heroes of the Tour de France because of the sheer physical endurance in the contribution they have to make, but watching Cadel on that 20th stage was really something to be seen, probably over and over again because I am sure it will be on television. Then we saw that fantastic win for him, and you could see it in his eyes when he put on that yellow jersey. I am almost certain that Cadel is responsible for having the Australian national anthem sung by an Australian on the Champs Elysee for the first time, certainly for the first time at a sporting event, which is quite an incredible achievement.

Cadel is a true champion. He is also humble and respectful, and in a sport that has been tainted with the spectre of doping he is an absolute cleanskin; no-one doubts it. He actually did it the hard way. He had years where he could have won but did not because other people had cheated and he did not. He is a real champion because of all those things. I want to pay tribute to all the other Australians who competed in this year's Tour as well. They are great riders, and racing over three weeks over the sort of distance we are talking about is a great achievement. They are all champions and champions for Australia as well.

I am a keen cyclist, as many people in Canberra are. I am a passionate believer in the benefits of cycling, certainly not at the level of Cadel—none of us could even come close to mentioning our own names in the same sentence as his. With everything that cycling can bring, it truly is a great sport that transcends competition. It is a way of life for many people and I see it as a great benefit for so many people in Australia and around the world.

I want to say thanks to Cadel for what he has done for cycling generally and for cycling in Australia. Congratulations, mate. You are an absolute champion.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As there is only one minute until the adjournment of the debate, does the member for Forrest still wish to speak?

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, Madam Deputy Speaker.