Cadel Evans heads into retirement without a national title

Despite all his cycling nous, not even Cadel Evans could control the frenetic elite men’s road race at the Australian titles on Sunday.

Evans rode admirably into 11th place, but both he and fellow pre-race favourite Richie Porte were left stunned by a breakaway of sprinters, with Heinrich Haussler taking gold over Caleb Ewan and Neil van der Ploeg on the 18-lap, 183.6-kilometre circuit around Mount Buninyong.

For Evans, it’s the beginning of the end to a glittering career.

A national jersey would have been a fitting way to pay tribute to historic victories in the 2011 Tour De France and 2009 World Road Championships.

The elite men’s race clearly didn’t go to script for the 37-year-old, as a select group of fast men dominated the famously gruelling course.

The first real breakaway, initiated by Ballarat’s Pat Shaw, was eventually reeled in by his Avanti teammates with four laps to go.

However, the big guns were not prepared for what came next, as sprint wunderkind Ewan created a second split on the 15th lap.

Evans and Porte had no answer from there as a supremely strong break would go on to fight out the win.

For Porte, the green and gold stripes would have been a nice addition to the kit he will don as Team Sky’s leader for the Giro d’Italia in May.

The Tasmanian shaped as the strongest rider heading into the weekend, evidenced by a superb gold medal-winning performance in the elite men’s time trial.

Porte has many more chances to win a green and gold jersey, and will almost assuredly do so as he sets his sights on grand tour podiums in the next few years.

Meanwhile, Evans is less than a month away from forever leaving the professional ranks.

There was not one spectator on Mount Buninyong who didn’t want the BMC stalwart to triumph on Sunday.

And while the dream didn’t come true, there wasn’t a single spectator who did not wholeheartedly relish the chance to see a champion in action one last time.

michael.pollock@fairfaxmedia.com.au