The Art of Cycling by Cadel Evans

Author:Cadel Evans
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ABC Books
Published: 2016-09-30T04:00:00+00:00

IN APRIL I RIDE the Tour of the Basque Country and finish fourth overall on GC.

A week later I head down to the Mapei centre to see Aldo. I’m scheduled for a test, but mainly I need to speak with Aldo about the paralysis I’m feeling in my career. He knows the situation I’m in and the difficulties I’m having with the team.

We do some testing in the lab. I don’t like doing these tests much, it’s a lot of effort. You get a bit of a training effect in doing a test but it’s not like pushing yourself in the races and getting some results.

Afterwards we sit down and talk.

‘Aldo, they’ve lost all faith in me.’

‘I know.’

‘Anything that goes wrong is my fault.’

He says, ‘It shows. If you just didn’t have all the stress, you’d perform fine, but you’ve got all this pressure and it’s affecting your performance.’

As usual, Aldo is right. The team’s lack of faith is eating away at me.

After my meeting with Aldo, I race all three Ardennes Classics followed by the six-day Tour de Romandie. After a stage one evening, I walk into David Bombeke’s hotel room when I receive a SMS. I glance at the message, ‘Davide Rebellin “A” sample from the 2008 Olympics non negative.’ Davide? No! It is a blow not only for our sport, but he is a rider I really look up to as an example of patience, tolerance and professionalism. He was always so calm, respectful and unobtrusive in the group.

In June I ride the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, which begins in Nancy, France. On stage five I’m isolated between two collaborating Spanish riders on Mont Ventoux and I lose the leader’s jersey. Valverde wins. Again I’m second, Contador third.

Sponsor, Marc Coucke’s response is: ‘Why can’t you win a race like this?’ Tony Rominger leaps to my defence, but it makes no difference.

I’m getting tired of seconds. And I’m getting tired of Lotto seeing me as someone who can’t win.

I’m trying to do my best, but when my support structure is not only unsupportive, but also seems to be adding to my challenges, it undermines everything I need to perform for a team.

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