Edinburgh Fringe 2025
CADEL: Lungs on Legs
Connor Delves
Genre: New Writing, Solo Show, Theatre
Venue: Underbelly Cowgate
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
The epic true story of the first Australian to win the Tour de France, live on stage. One actor. One bike. One hour. Performed entirely on a bike in an epic theatrical feat of endurance by acclaimed Australian actor Connor Delves. Pedalling non-stop for an hour, he recreates the thrilling journey of Cadel’s 2011 Tour de France win, and all the triumphs, heartaches and sacrifices made along the way.
Review
The thrill of the annual Tour de France bicycle race from one rider’s perspective is recreated in this show! In 2011 there is a group of favourite riders to do well, including Cadel Evans. In fact, the show starts at the beginning of a time trial in the penultimate stage and Cadel needs to outdo himself time wise at the last two stages. The final, the 21st stage ends in Paris on the famous Champs Élysées and is a big deal for this sport! This is THE bicycle race among them all and it is known globally by cycling fans – and a lot of the general public. Evans is from Australia and up to that year, no Australian had ever won the Tour de France race, so excitement was building feverishly. This was not only felt among the fans but also felt among the riders and teams of the Tour – and beyond in all the countries who send their best riders. Everyone hopes the grand prize and honor of winning the entire race is one of theirs.
Actor Connor Delves as Evans rides his bike on a small stage and he cycles for the hour-long show! He is wearing the pro cyclist race kit and helmet in team colours and swigs water while narrating – describing play by play physical moments, his strategies and head game – as the daily scores of kilometres melt away. Cycling is as much as a head game as a physical one and Delves does a very good job of showing this from the writing, his characterization as Evans and his vast energetic output.
Delves actually looks like Cadel Evans and is very effective in his delivery of what is a long emotive and dynamic monologue of new writing. Delves lives this character and incorporates the cycling race lingo in a way that everyone can understand and those in the know feel a warm complicity. Facing us head on and oh so briefly getting off the bike and using it as a prop creatively, Delves builds the world of a cyclist competing in a race as well as referring to other riders in the race that year. This was also a time when cheating by doping was happening and there is a brief mention of this – as well as other typical and unexpected challenges found in such grueling sports.
In addition to the dynamic visual of a live cyclist pedaling hard, there is a large screen either side of him showing short well chosen excerpts of the 2011 race. Delves describes the excited sounds of the crowds along the route and at the finish line together with commentators opinions that certainly build atmosphere and authenticity. This is an imaginative inside look of cycling with a vibrant, dramatic story creatively brought to life by Connor Delves and his team. As an armchair fan of international cycling races, I felt a lot of excitement without actually being at a TdF in person! Perhaps one day!
