A yellow jersey, a toy lion held high and a lot of sweat: new photographs by Kyle Dax Smith show Connor Delves at full effort in Cadel: Lungs On Legs, which has its official London opening at Riverside Studios on Thursday 15 October.
The camera stays close. Connor Delves bends low over the bars in red and black team kit, buckles on a helmet, and rides in an Australian champion’s jersey with a clear mask strapped over his mouth and nose while a race clock ticks past 26 minutes on the screen behind. Wider frames put the bike on a small round platform under projected skies, green fields and an aerial view of the peloton.
The pictures arrive on press night. Cadel: Lungs On Legs began its five-week London premiere at Riverside Studios on Tuesday 13 October, opens officially on Thursday 15 October at 7.15pm, and plays until Sunday 15 November 2026. The production is also marking its 100th performance. The London dates were first announced in September.
Delves created the show and plays Cadel Evans, the first Australian to win the Tour de France. He wrote the script with Steve McMahon, and Mark Barford directs and handles dramaturgy. For all 70 minutes Delves pedals live on a 2011 yellow BMC “Cadel Evans” SLR01, the model Evans raced to his Tour win, with race commentary from Phil Liggett laid over the action.
The sport is in the family. His parents owned a bike shop, his mother Vicki Delves received the WA Sport Award (May Campbell Medal), and his father raced internationally alongside Evans in the 1990s.
The London season comes after a sold-out UK premiere in 2025, an Australian premiere tour and a return to the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2026. Along the way the show has collected Theatre Weekly’s Best Show of the Fringe award in Edinburgh, an award at Adelaide Fringe and an EFFTA Award, as well as an OFFIE nomination.
Evans himself has been involved from the start. “Connor’s vision for this show is bold and exciting, and I’m thrilled to be involved from the start. His dedication to every detail - the training, and the physical demands of the production - reflects the same passion and commitment I’ve always brought to the bike,” he said.
Seabright Live and Cadel the Play LLC present the production in association with Anant Das. Imagine Black designed it, with lighting by Mitchell Fenton, video by Lauren Cochrane and sound by Nate Edmondson. Eva Sheehy-Moss is assistant director, and Mecca Christy joins Delves on stage as ASM and featured ensemble.
Evening performances are at 7.15pm, Tuesday to Sunday, with 3pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Riverside Studios is at 101 Queen Caroline Street, London W6 9BN.
