Tour de France legend honoured in live Geelong performance

DIRECT from a sold-out season at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in London, Connor Delve will be bringing his one-man show CADEL: Lungs on Legs to Geelong for its Australian debut.

The performance will take place on Friday, January 30 at Geelong Arts Centre and form part of a mega-weekend of special events surrounding the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

CADEL: Lungs on Legs chronicles the incredible true story of Cadel Evans, the first and only Australian to win the Tour de France, and delivers a special account of the sheer determination it takes to conquer cycling’s biggest prize.

The multi-award-winning production marks a powerful homecoming for Australian creator and performer Connor Delves.

Performed entirely on a bicycle, the performance will see him pedal 27km on the yellow BMC Cadel Evans SLR01 that Evans rode to victory in the 2011 Tour de France.

Delves’ physical performance will be combined with vivid storytelling and live commentary from the legendary voice of the Tour de France, Phil Liggett.

Delves said the special performance brings together his passion for the sport alongside his theatrical career.

“We’ve hit a time now where you’re encouraged to play stories close to who you are,” he said. “I was sitting in a bar in Edinburgh a while back, and my co-writer encouraged me to do a story about my athletic ability. Naturally, I thought “Of course” – I grew in my parents bike shop in Perth and they were professional athletes, and I also loved competing.

“Cadel Evans changed my life with what he did for the sport, and I thought why not ride on stage and do a show. Honestly, we can’t wait to bring it to Australia, and the timing is perfect with the race coming into town.”

Evans has thrown his full support behind the performance, describing Delves’ vision for the show as bold and exciting.

“It’s incredibly humbling to have Connor write and produce a stage production based on my life and career,” Evans said. “I’m equally humbled to think that people would like to see it, which it appears they do.

“I will be watching the play for the first time in Geelong, so I am feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, but I do hope people come and support the show and the event weekend in general.”

The show will be 65 minutes in duration with no interval.

For tickets, head to geelongartscentre.org.au

//SPONSORED CONTENT