Australian cycling legend Cadel Evans to retire from cycling in February | video, photos

Evans also plans to race the national championships and ProTour's opening race of the year, the Tour Down Under in January.

While his 2011 Tour de France triumph made Evans a household name in Australia, it was an emphatic win at the 2009 world championships that signalled his arrival as true star of road cycling.

Amid lingering doubts over his ability get the job done in big races, Evans launched a bold solo attack up the Novazzano climb in Mendrisio, Switzerland to become Australia's first road race world champion.

In typically eccentric fashion, Evans didn't sit up to celebrate - even though he was well clear of the chasing pack.

Instead he shyly blew two kisses to the crowd after crossing the line.

On the podium, he failed to hold back tears.

The world title meant Evans was assured his place as a great among cycling purists.

But it was the 37-year-old's victory in cycling's showpiece event two years later that truly captured the attention of the Australian public.

Evans' Tour de France win was secured on Stage 18. Following a long-range attack from Andy Schleck, a magnificent Evans single-handedly dragged the chasers up the Col de Galibier.

Without the help of other GC contenders, Evans simply put his head down and ground his way up the arduous climb and dropped many of his rivals, including Alberto Contador, in the process.

In a sport that had been brought to its knees by doping scandal after doping scandal, the Australian's win in 2011 was almost cathartic.

Cadel started out as a mountain biker and became the first Australian to win the cross-country world cup in 1998. He repeated in 1999.

The following year Evans switched to road cycling.

He won the Tour of Austria in 2001 before finding himself somewhat sidelined at Germany's Team Telekom in 2003 and 2004.

In 2007 he became the first Australian to stand on the Tour de France podium in Paris when he finished second overall to Contador by just 23 seconds. Evans also won the year-long ProTour championship.

The Katherine-born rider finished second in the Tour in 2008, again by less than a minute. This time it was another Spaniard - Carlos Sastre - who denied him.

Evans secured a podium finish at the Vuelta in 2009 when he finished third just weeks before becoming world champion.

In 2010 he won the La Fleche Wallonne classic to cement his stature as an accomplished one-day rider as well as a GC man.

He was third in the Giro d'Italia in 2013 and a superb stage win in the 2014 Tour Down Under had raised hopes he could add overall victory in the Giro to his long line of achievements.

Despite being withdrawn from the Tour de France by his team BMC to focus on the Italian event, Evans faded to finish eighth overall after a bright start in what many considered concrete evidence his best cycling days were behind.

Evans wasn't a pure climber - he was too chunky for that - but could grind out a tempo and limit his losses against the more attacking light-weight riders.

He then used his power in the time trials to make up lost ground.

As well as being a physiological freak, he was one of the craftiest tacticians in the modern peloton, capable of using his MTB-honed handling skills to attack on a descent or jump away in the final, twisty turns, of a race.

Evans' highly-introverted personality made it difficult to handle the spotlight at times.

He could be guarded, but always passionate and fiercely competitive.

Evans departs the sport having left a lasting legacy that will inspire future generations of Australian cyclists.

Born: Katherine, Northern Territory

DOB: 14/2/77