Review: CADEL: Lungs on Legs (Riverside Studios)
Review by Seth Wilby
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recently, there has been a notable rise in theatre being treated as an extreme sport, particularly on the fringe theatre scene. Just two months ago, in Edinburgh, I reviewed a show taking place entirely on a treadmill. But at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe, there was CADEL: Lungs on Legs, setting the pace for sporty solo shows. Now pedalling 330 miles south, this exhilarating true story is gearing up to handle its London debut, but would I find this brake-through piece wheely good, or derailed by tiredness?
Recounting the true story of Cadel Evans, who, in 2011, became the first Australian to win the Tour de France, CADEL: Lungs on Legs premiered at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe, before returning for the 2026 festival ahead of a London run at Riverside Studios and an Australian tour- in fact, on the night I attended, it was celebrating its one-hundredth show worldwide. So, it's no surprise that, by now, the sixty-five-minute presentation feels like a well-oiled machine in its telling of the highs and lows in the run-up to Cadel’s victory, and the anger and heartache it took to get there. Oh, and one more thing I ought to mention- our performer is formidably pedalling on a bicycle for most of the show.
If you think this is just a gimmick, crafted by director-dramaturg Mark Barford to win the audience's support, you would be wrong. For on this bicycle, mounted centre-stage on a manually-rotatable disk, it seems almost like miracles occur. At first, during the telling of Cadel’s early life, the bike is used sparingly, and I was sceptical of its whole purpose within the narrative, with it seeming to provide nothing more than distraction (not to mention that the marketing promise of ‘pedalling non-stop’ was clearly not true). But when the play picks up pace, and we dive directly into Cadel’s time racing, it becomes hypnotic to watch and admire performer Connor Delves give everything to his performance, growing exhausted and sweaty as he mirrors every pedal taken by Cadel, and the commitment it took to get there.
Barford uses this cycling as a device to tell the narrative, not just as impressive staging, with Delves only pedalling when the story is directly recounting a race. This provides realism and momentum to the story, which we are allowed to become fully immersed in, and becomes incredibly impressive when we get to watch Delves deliver these passionate monologues while pedalling relentlessly, a feat in theatricality and adrenaline. That said, it did feel like, had the bike served some clearer metaphorical purpose, we could have delved into Cadel’s psyche more, and become invested in not just the race, but the mental toll too. Beyond this, Barford’s direction is appropriately simple, never failing to instil the play with a passionate energy that’s constantly exciting to watch.
There’s also very good use of video design, by Lauren Cochrane, with dynamic projected footage adding depth throughout to the rather static staging. Feeling cinematic in its execution, Cochrane contributes close-ups of Cadel’s cycling, as well as bird's-eye video footage from his actual races (accompanied by real commentary to fill us in on the progress), merging our play with immersive actual sporting, and all the drama and investment that accompanies it. When combined with Mitchell Fenton’s lighting design and Nate Edmondson’s composition/sound design, it is an intensely invigorating watch.
Created by Delves, who also serves as co-writer with Steve McMahon, the story is not one that instantly lends itself to retelling. While the true story of Cadel Evans is certainly an impressive one, it isn’t necessarily one that provides an ample amount of content (and Cadel’s disdain for publicity is discussed, not making him an obvious subject for a biographical show), with the play’s events never really becoming particularly inspiring or heartbreaking, although Delves and McMahon have managed to find, and exaggerate, these emotions wherever appropriate. When Cadel gets a puncture, it feels catastrophic, and his anger at each loss transmits aftershocks through the auditorium.
The writing, and the play’s, biggest success is in the way it depicts the racing. It is unbelievably compelling, and the stakes feel palpable as the whole audience becomes incredibly invested in the outcome. From the first scenes, we are captivated, and it becomes hard to focus on anything else. Each word carries the weight of legacy, and every scene feels fresh and exciting. The monologue is focused on a singular goal, and, by the time we reach the final payoff, with Delves cycling on Cadel’s real-life winning bike and wearing his actual 2011 yellow jersey, we are elated, and it seems as if we have witnessed something momentous, a lasting impression of our story’s truth and triumph.
Mainly a solo show (although on-stage ASM/ensemble Mecca Christy contributes nobly in a tiny part), Connor Delves excels in not just representing, but fully becoming, Cadel Evans in a portrayal that seems transformative (including a great representation of Cadel as a small child), consuming him with the nuance and subtle depth you expect from this depiction. As the play progresses, the tension builds, and, despite us all knowing the outcome, Delves puts us on the edge of our seats as his emotions build with the stakes. Despite the fury that builds within Cadel, Delves has crafted someone deeply sympathetic, and his desolate meltdown is saddening to watch, all of which makes the final victory all the more wondrous and uplifting.
Never did I think I could become so utterly captivated by a solo show about cycling. Yet such is the miracle of CADEL: Lungs on Legs, which seamlessly integrates some excellent writing, striking direction, and a magnetic lead performance into a compelling hour. It’s exciting and unique, and, with each element executed effortlessly in this small studio, this Tour de France tale is a triumphant Tour de Force.
Cadel: Lungs on Legs plays at Riverside Studios until 15th November. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/play/cadel-lungs-on-legs-tickets
Photos by Kyle Dax Smith