Exclusive interview: Connor Delves on Cadel Evans, cycling 28km a night and bringing elite sport to the stage

Australian actor and producer Connor Delves is bringing the extraordinary story of Tour de France winner Cadel Evans (both pictured) to the London stage this autumn — in a one-man show that sees him cycle nearly 28km during every performance.

CADEL: Lungs On Legs comes to Riverside Studios from 13 October to 15 November, following seasons across Australia and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

For Perth-born Delves, the story has particularly personal roots. He grew up in his parents’ bike shop, surrounded by cycling and sport, and describes Evans’ against-the-odds Tour de France victory as “the most Australian thing I’d ever seen”.

Now based in New York, where he is Co-Artistic and Executive Director of the Australian Theatre Festival NYC, Delves spoke to FANZA about turning elite sport into theatre, what he has learnt from Evans himself, and why bringing the show to London feels like preparing to ride a Grand Tour.

What inspired you to turn Cadel Evans’ story into a play?

I grew up in my parents’ bike shop in Perth, Western Australia. Mum was a triathlete, Dad a mountain biker, and sport was just everywhere in our lives. Our spare bedroom at home was called the bike room. Not kidding.

I was — and still am — an athlete. Sport dominated my life as a kid and I was obsessed with Australians going overseas and winning against the odds, on the world stage. That was always amazing to me.

Cadel Evans changed Australian sporting history and the sport of cycling, despite almost everything working against him. It was the most Australian thing I’d ever seen.

His journey to success is not unlike my acting career thus far. A lot of hard work, some close calls to “making it big” and then one big chance to go for it.

I wanted to bring elite sport to the theatre in its truest form. I’d never seen sport done properly on stage, where the necessary effort and ability were often missing. I knew I could do that and put myself through the suffering on stage, to truly recreate the world’s greatest endurance event and how Cadel defied the odds to win it.

I knew this story was something only I could do, and something so close to home that it would feel real and specific — and that’s always what I want to see and feel in a play.

Cycling is inherently theatrical, and Cadel’s journey to winning is perhaps the most thrilling of all time. The stage was set and I just had to pull it off. And ride it on stage… every single night.

You ride continuously throughout the performance. How did you prepare physically for the show, and how does that physical effort affect the performance from night to night?

I do! Training, maintenance and rehab are a huge part of my life as I tour the show around the world.

I partnered with Aussie Prime Train as my personal coach to dial my body into the right window, with preparation, lifting and injury prevention. He’s been a game changer for me. I also partnered with Wahoo Fitness, who have taken my cycling to the next level, as training for a hard, hot and fast indoor session every single day is a specific challenge.

It’s a big commitment, and at the end of the day I have to ride 27–28km per show and there’s no arguing with the watts!

Night to night, the show is consistently really hard! It’s a big push. I’m dialled up to simulate the mountains on stage and the effort is real. You see the sweat, spit — sorry! — and suffering as I’m actually doing it.

I top out at around 50km per hour and have managed to consistently sit around 27–28km on stage.

I think it’s this effort that makes the show so unique. It really shows what it takes, and what it took for Cadel to succeed. It took everything.

Putting oneself through that kind of physical effort produces a kind of reality and honesty that is really unique. I’d like to think that authenticity shines through and creates a space where the audience feels they are getting to see inside the mind of one of the grittiest athletes of all time.

Cadel himself has been involved with the production. What did you learn from spending time with him, and was there anything about his story that surprised you?

My biggest lesson from Cadel is that no amount of success will ever be enough, and that there always has to be something else to strive for. Perfection is a funny thing.

I have always prided myself on working hard, but having spoken with and met Cadel, his threshold for working hard is like nothing I’ve ever seen. And he’s still hard on himself. Amazing determination.

I was surprised by how down and out he felt in the depths of his struggles, and that he was able to rebound out of that and come back to win.

It’s an incredible turnaround, given the circumstances, age and timing. It wasn’t just a physical achievement, but largely a mental one. That surprised me.

The weight of a nation indeed…

Cycling and theatre might seem like very different worlds. What have you discovered about the drama of professional cycling by putting it on stage?

I actually think they are incredibly similar. It’s all entertainment. It’s all live. It’s all incredibly intense and takes everything to reach the top.

My biggest lesson about cycling is actually about how much of a perfect storm is required to pull it off — which, again, is a lot like theatre.

So many elements must align to win the Tour de France. Not just your legs. Not just your lungs. Ha!

I’ve discovered that what draws people to the Tour and cycling is exactly what brings people through the doors of a theatre. That connection has been a big part of the show’s success and bringing in new audiences.

The show has now travelled through Australia and the Edinburgh Fringe. Has the production — or your understanding of Cadel — changed as you’ve performed it for different audiences?

Definitely. The show has changed drastically. It’s a full-scale production now.

The initial success allowed me to garner more support and bring on a bigger team of Aussies in New York — who work on Broadway and beyond — to scale the production up around me on stage.

Video and design are now a huge part of the show. Our director Mark Barford describes the show — and the Tour de France — like a rock concert on wheels. So that’s where the physical growth has come. It’s exciting that audiences get to experience that and feel like they are actually at the Tour de France.

My understanding of Cadel grows stronger with each show we do. And I’m nearly at show 100!

The more I play him, the more I understand his humanity. Not the video, not the results, but his mind.

I’ve always understood the athlete mentality, but Cadel’s point of view is incredibly specific. I look forward to continuing that lesson in many shows to come.

You’re Australian-born but now based in New York and work across Australia, the US and UK. How has that international career shaped the kind of Australian stories you want to tell?

It’s absolutely shaped who I am. I’ve been lucky to witness and absorb so many different experiences, cultures and workplaces around the world.

It’s made me really interrogate who I am and what makes me unique. We are in a world that cries for authenticity and stories that are personal and specific. Easy to say, harder to actually do and find.

So instead of waiting, I made my own pathway with this show, and it’s paying off.

I run the Australian Theatre Festival NYC with CADEL director Mark Barford. Now in its seventh year, the Festival celebrates and showcases Australian stories and artists in New York City and is a great source of pride and passion for us both.

I think Australians are incredibly hard-working and daring people. We take risks and move away and travel and experience the world — and that is interesting.

My career is defined by the risks I’ve taken and the experiences that have come from them. I’m a proud Aussie, and now, after 12 years, a proud New Yorker too. It’s a cool perspective and one I will forever be grateful for.

Really, I just want Aussies to have a crack and dive into the work. There’s no time for safety here!

What are you most looking forward to about bringing CADEL to London for this five-week Riverside Studios season?

To think my solo show will finally be seen in London is incredible. An Australian story. About sport. Playing London’s Riverside Studios for five weeks. It’s something I still can’t quite wrap my head around. It’s what I’ve dreamed of.

I love London and have worked here over the years with great joy. It feels like I’m preparing to ride a Grand Tour.

I’m ready. The show’s ready. I’m confident, focused and honestly ready to roll. Literally, I suppose.

I’m looking forward to sharing a new experience with audiences. Bringing new people into the theatre and giving cycling fans — and Aussies — something to be proud of.

So take that chance and come see it. I promise you won’t be bored. And hopefully, you will be proud too.

CADEL: Lungs On Legs runs at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, from 13 October to 15 November 2026.