Cuddles retiring from the Pro Tour after the Tour Down Under. A nice piece over at velonews about him. Seems to really divide opinion but I’ve always liked his doggedness and honesty (Aussie qualities that don’t often go down too well over here, “whinging” accusations etc.)

Will be remembered for near misses (allegedly a clean rider in a field of dopers?) as much as his 2011 Tour win or the Mendrisio World Champs win. I’ll remember him for his dragging everyone up the Galibier in the 2011 tour, a real cards on the table ride that was so close to being yet another near miss…

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJYxkv0ZJXo[/video]

Bye bye Cadel

Class rider with a great palmares.

Volvo Cannondale mountain bike days are worth remembering as well.

Volvo Cannondale mountain bike days are worth remembering as well.

Absolutely, I sometimes forget this place is a mountain bike forum 🙂

Edit… apologies for the Liggett and Sherwen commentary on that video, best turn the sound down and just enjoy the images!

Rode the Sydney Olympics before switching to the road. Gave it a real go too, would have been a great home medal.

Actually watched that race during a TrainerRoad session the other night.

OT, but boy have XC courses changed!

Yep will be sad to see Cadel hang up his shoes.
Apart from his MTB criteria, I’ve always felt that if he’d only had a dedicated team in 2007/2008 he would have won the TdF earlier

I’ve always liked his dodginess and tetchiness

I’ll miss gems like “don’t stand on my dog or I’ll cut your head off” 😀

It is hard to dislike someone determined enough to win the TDF and no doubt he’s a great rider but I think I’m one of the many that just don’t “get” the guy 😕

Are the any indications of what he’ll go on to do after retirement?

Farewell, a liked him, not an overly endearing character but you know what you were getting.

That ride up Galibier in the 2011 was something else, dragging Voekler et al up there was a hell of a ride.

To be fair to Cadel in that .gif the journalist was poking him on his injured shoulder, a shoulder which I’d imagine was pretty tender with Cadel having just ridden up the Hautacam on it.

I’m not sure I’d have been much more gracious in similar circumstances.

It is hard to dislike someone determined enough to win the TDF and no doubt he’s a great rider but I think I’m one of the many that just don’t “get” the guy

Agreed, admired his riding – which showed balls and class in equal measures, but however much I wanted to like him as a person (and I really did!), just always found him odd. Still think the peloton is poorer for his retirement though.

Sure interviewers everywhere have breathed a collective sigh of relief though!

Apart from his MTB criteria, I’ve always felt that if he’d only had a dedicated team in 2007/2008 he would have won the TdF earlier

charles wegelius may beg to differ. I haven’t got it with me to check the dates but his autobiography contains an interesting perspective if you’ve not read it. Not suggesting anything dubious – more how Cadel managed the team.

charles wegelius may beg to differ. I haven’t got it with me to check the dates but his autobiography contains an interesting perspective if you’ve not read it. Not suggesting anything dubious – more how Cadel managed the team.

Is an interesting read about his Lotto days. Think a lot changed for him with his world champs win and the move to BMC. Seemed to mellow a lot and always had praise for his teammates. A more difficult rider to like before then.

I’m not sure Charlie Wegelius has much to add to a conversation about team ethics/atitude.

Cuddles is/was a rider I should have liked a lot more than I did. Still reputed to be clean in an era when that was not the done thing I think.

Who?

Found that Wegelius book a really good read.

yeah, didn’t seem too impressed with him. Was that him in the bottle of wine story?

I’m not sure Charlie Wegelius has much to add to a conversation about team ethics/atitude.

he does not strike me as a people person

I’ll remember him for his dragging everyone up the Galibier in the 2011 tour

Got to be one of the best stages ever

Yes, Chef, that was Cadel with the wine. Was before 2010 though. Reckon the world champs win and the move to BMC lifted a massive weight/chip off his shoulders.

Seemed like a changed rider after his World’s win. Road like a ‘proper champ’ in the spring classics after that, always fighting if he had a chance, leading from the front.

Class rider.

I think that for most of his career he knew he’d never get on the top step of a major race, seeing as pretty much everyone else was on the juice. The fact that he kept going, and fought for things shoes a lot of mental strength.
I remember him turning up at WC race as a privateer and surprising a lot of pros and then becoming a full time pro and eventually the move to Cannondale – denied WC wins there as well by dopers.
Its just a shame that all that the so many STW-ers (mostly CFH) remember him for is one piece of footage during one TdF after riding with a broken collarbone snapping at a reporter who pushes him on that shoulder. I reckon those moaning about him would have been crying their eyes out and gone home days before.

I met him once, him and his wife coming out of a Bar in Vienna.. He was dressed in a Suit and his Wife was wearing a bloody lovely LBD, they must have been out for the evening. We were slobbing it in Jeans n T’s at the back of the veery Posh restaurant..

It took a double take to see who it was..

Nice Guy, I said Hi Cadel and he smiled, thats it, nothing more..

8)

What aP said.

Lemond’s take on Cadel which I always consider a decent barometer on things as I don’t reckon Lemond would stick his neck out on Cadel if he wasn’t pretty certain.

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/news/57808/lemond-doping-era-denied-evans-his-best-years

I can’t say I liked Cadel much but I really admired him.

I always remember his first Giro when he came in almost straight out of mtbing and did amazingly well until the wheels fell off. Quite possibly that was the difference between being clean or not though…

Classy ride by Cadel to a podium place in the TdU helping Dennis keep hold of the top spot.