One way road / the autobiography of three time tour de france green jersey winner robbie mcewan - McEwen

Robbie McEwen is one of the most successful road cyclist of the last 20 years, having achieved the rare distinction of winning over 100 professional races, including multiple stages in the prestigious Tour de France and Tour of Italy. At the Tour de France, he has taken the coveted Green Jersey three times. Born in Queensland, Australia, McEwen first realised that he was incredibly competitive at his first grade sports day. He spent his teen years winning just about every possible title for his age group at BMX, before discovering road cycling at 18. Spells with the Australian Institute of Sport gave McEwen a chance to compete in Europe, the home of road cycling, and he impressed, earning a professional contact with the Rabobank team in 1996, just six years after he'd picked up a road bike. McEwen soon established himself as one of the foremost celebrated final stage of the race in 1999, on the Champs Elysees. But it was between 2002 and 2007 that he had a legitimate claim to being the fastes sprinter in the world. He won green jerseys in 2002, 2004 and 2006, and along the way claimed 11 more Tour de France stages to add to the one he'd won in 1999. McEwen is renowned for being a forthright characterm, a favourite among fans and respected by his competitors. Few cyclists have ever apprached the sport in such a detailed way, and few have been as competitive. He now rides for Lance Armstrong's RadioShack team, still competing at the very highest level.