‘An imaginative, raw and sensationally physical telling of the ride to success’
One-man sensation Connor Delves saddles up for his 100th performance, telling the extraordinarily true story of Cadel Evans, the first Australian to win the Tour de France. After two years of success at Edinburgh Fringe and cross-continental tours, the bar is set high and taped in yellow for a truly unstoppable performance. This show certainly delivers, with world-class characterisation heroically pedalled out in just over an hour.
The whole production flows as seamlessly as a well-oiled machine; its immersive design perfectly complementing Delves’ accomplished storytelling. Projected cinematic shots of Delves combined with real race footage of stage finishes effortlessly take audiences from the Aussie outback to the Alpe d’Huez, from AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) testing rooms to foggy climbs battling through mist and rain. Alongside race commentary from the iconic Phil Liggett, who first prophesied Evans’ Tour de France win, the bikes and jerseys become much more than simply props and costumes, unveiling a deep respect for the real man behind the epic journey the play follows.
Where the worlds of theatre and commercial cycling may seem an illogical pairing, this show reveals them to be more intertwined than we might imagine. Audiences become witnesses not just to a masterclass in vivid storytelling but to the impressive physical trial Delves undertakes, balancing performance and athleticism as he pedals through the pain, gears clicking in the turbo trainer, standing out of the saddle as Cadel fights through hill reps. Delves becomes one with the bike as the ambitious performer-athlete far from home, showcasing his talent at an international level. The emotional connection between Delves and the Aussie legend he embodies is tangible, as the machine of an athlete he plays becomes newly human.
The image of Cadel Evans is redrawn: once an explosive icon and wide-eyed outsider in the European cycling circuit, he now emerges as a coloured-in, impossibly resilient underdog. Delves captures the humanity of the boy from the bush with an exceptional capacity for endurance, managing to reconcile earnest awkwardness with an insatiable hunger to see his dreams made reality on the world’s largest cycling stage, all from behind the handlebars.
Delves embraces the epic sweep of Evans’s story: an ambitious young hero arrives on foreign soil, chasing a dream in the circus of professional cycling. McMahon and Delves’ writing exposes the darker side of this moment in cycling history, entangled in scandal and doping. Delves’ performance sensitively explores feeling cursed to settle for second place in a hostile arena of press conferences, team dynamics and the mental and physical toll of injury and recovery. He skilfully takes us into the relentless melee of Evans’ world where audiences feel his sweat and breath; water spat and sprayed into the front rows, while an ever-expanding graveyard of towels and bottles is cast aside.
While this play first presents itself as a one-man show, it feels as though the voices of the people who made his journey fill the space with him. Delves’ characterisation spans a huge range of personalities, from the friendly American domestique supreme George Hincapie to his can’t-be-with-can’t-be-without coach Aldo Sassi, to whom Evans dedicated his tour victory. His quick-witted turns grant him a warmth that treads a delicate line between grit and humour, allowing the nostalgia of the story to sting just a little as the audience cranes to root for him, feeling his frustration and obsession in his struggle to the top.
This is a truly packed show that condenses the heart and grit of this legendary story, brimming with personal touches and delivered with the commitment of a bike-throw photo finish.
Cadel: Lungs on Legs runs at Riverside Studios until Sunday 15th November 2026. Tickets here.