Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) will be going for an impressive triple next summer, as the Australian champion is planning to race the Tour de France, the Olympic road race, and the time trial as well.
The Tour concludes on July 22, and the road race takes place a mere six days later on July 28. The time trial follows on August 1.
“It's going to be interesting for us because we have such a big block of racing and then jump straight into the Olympics, but we've done it before and I'm really looking forward to it,” Evans told the Herald Sun.
Evans has excelled most recently in situations similar to the one he will attempt next summer, building and maintaining form over long periods of time and in difficult races. When he became the World Road Race champion in 2009, the Aussie was coming off of a difficult Tour de France, in which he finished 29th overall. But he rebuilt for the Vuelta a España and finished third there before surprising everyone in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
“I'm experienced and have managed that kind of recovery training between a Tour and a one-day race. It's become a bit more of a speciality,” Evans added.
With slightly less climbing and an added time trial, it seems as if Evans has a setup in the Tour de France that could lead to a second title in a row. And while he admits that his public perception has changed a bit since his win, he remains humble as he prepares for a big 2012.
“Certainly things have changed around me a little bit,” he remarked. “But to ride into a head wind is still not enjoyable, and it still hurts my legs to ride up a hill, when you cut it down to the fundamentals. But the world around me probably sees me in a different light, I guess.”
The Australian veteran has turned his attention to next season, and using a heavy training and racing program similar to ones in the past that have led to success.
“I'll probably have about 20,000km in my legs just before I get to the starting line for the Tour de France and that will be about 24,000 before I get to the Olympics,” he added.
“For me that's what I focus on.”