Cycling: The Australian Cadel Evans (BMC) will contest his last race on February 1, 2015 in Australia. In the Great Ocean Road Race named after him, he will once again pin a start number to his jersey before retiring from active cycling. After Thor Hushovd, this is the second BMC star to end his career.
Evans announced his decision at a press conference on the sidelines of the Road World Championships in Ponferrada. The 37-year-old 2011 Tour winner ended weeks of speculation about his future.
"I feel the time is right to end my journey in professional cycling", Evans explained. “It was more than the trip of a lifetime, something I would never have considered on my first rides off-road at Bamylli in the Northern Territory. It is beyond impressive how far two wheels can take a person.”
Team manager Jim Ochowicz therefore sees the team facing a major change: “It will be a big change for our team not having Cadel with the team after his last race earlier this year in Australia”, according to Ochowicz. "We will miss his leadership, experience and the accomplishments he brought to the BMC Racing Team.” He also wished Evans the best of luck for Sunday's race, which may change his mind once again."I hope he will win", Ochowicz continued. "Should he win, there will of course be further discussions about the shaping of his future. As a world champion, there would be a lot to talk about. But that would be nice problems.”
During the press conference, it was also announced that Evans would remain the brand ambassador for bike manufacturer BMC.
In addition to his tour success, the Australian's most important results include winning the 2009 World Championships and numerous first places in races such as the Tour de Romandie, Tirreno-Adriatico, the Giro del Trentino, the Critérium International, the Walloon Arrow, etc.