Evans' world title defence inspired by ill coach

Published>Fri, Oct 01 10 02:16 PM

Road cycling world champion Cadel Evans paid tribute to his ill coach Aldo Sassi on Thursday, saying the Italian's courage had inspired him to keep competing rather than end his season after breaking his arm.

The Australian fractured his arm in a crash during the eighth stage at the Tour de France in July on the same day he took the race leader's yellow jersey. He struggled thereafter to finish 26th overall.

"I had a broken arm and I was out... Most people go on a holiday, I was going every day to the physiotherapist in August," Evans told reporters.

"First you've got to win (the world title), but (he's) certainly the motivation -- most of the people in my season would have stopped their season after the Tour," Evans told reporters.

"For those who don't know, there are four untreatable tumours in the upper part of his (Sassi's) brain and just for him to make the trip out to here was something.

"I want to fight it to the end while Aldo is still around with us and give it everything I've got, as he's given to my career since we've started working together.

"His situation has certainly pushed me a lot further than I would have otherwise gone this year."

HOME-TOWN HERO

Evans will bid to become the sixth rider to register back-to-back world titles on Sunday in the port city of Geelong, on a circuit a short training ride away from his Australian residence of Barwon Heads.

A win by the home-town hero would be a satisfying finish for organisers of the world championships, which have been overshadowed by the suspension of Tour de France champion Alberto Contador for a positive drug test.

Stage specialist Evans has played down his chances, however, and said the challenging 262.7 km course is more suited to European contenders, which include Belgian Philippe Gilbert and Spain's triple world champion Oscar Freire.

Unlike last year, Evans missed this month's Tour of Spain, a warmup used as a platform for the last nine world champions, instead riding in one-day events in Belgium.

"The Vuelta (Tour of Spain) is normally the way to win the worlds but I'm the odd one out," he said.

"The races I had in Belgium were good, and they were pretty suitable races for here... similar conditions, similar weather conditions, similar types of climbs and they all went pretty well."

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