For the next 12 months, the Australian some would describe as a 'battler', has the right to wear cycling's top prize, the rainbow jersey of the World Champion. For the rest of his career, Evans will carry the rainbow stripes on his armbands. It's an honour Evans has literally earned with blood, sweat and tears. So often in recent times, the 32-year-old has been the one standing second or third on podiums around the cycling world – close but not close enough.

Evans told WWOS that his World Championship triumph in Mendrisio, Switzerland on September 27 was the "one thing that could have made up for all the wrong things this year and it's easier said than done."

"In the Road World Championships you start with [a field of] 200 and there's only one winner," Evans explains. "I think it was the 16th world championships that I'd competed in from junior mountain bike, junior road whatever and then two, three times second, and then to finally break through for the win - it couldn't have come at a better time or in a better race."

Read how Evans' wife, Chiara Passerini saw his World Championship victory in an extract from Cadel Evans: Close to Flying – click here.

Cycling commentators often make mention of 'the rainbow jersey curse' – previous world champions have been the victims of bad luck in varying degrees, ranging from death in the extreme to just a lack of results, but it's a scenario Evans scoffs at.

"If I had a rainbow jersey curse, it was in the 12 months leading into it," he laughs.

With the announcement that Evans will join the US-registered BMC Racing Team on a three-year deal from 2010, his strained relationship with his previous squad Silence-Lotto comes to an abrupt end.

Evans' lack of team support at the Tour de France in both 2008 and 2009 is well documented. This year there was also a clash between Evans and Lotto management over the Australian's race schedule. For a cyclist who rides for the General Classification – the designated team leader, the guy with the best chance of a podium finish like Evans – race schedules are crucial.

"As a rider trying to prepare for the year you can only choose the second half, or the first half, or a section in the middle, or a little bit at the end and the beginning – you can't do everything," Evans told WWOS. "Cycling has so many days of competition. I rode 85 days of competition this year and I don't ride many, but that's still too many."

"[Lotto] added in a couple of races that I didn't want to do, but was obligated to for whatever reason," Evans says, reflecting on his 2009 season. He rolls his eyes. "I made it very clear: no, no, no. When you go away from your plan it's nearly always a compromise."

Evans blames his 30th place at the 2009 Tour de France – his worst of his four appearances – partly on this schedule conflict. Somehow, he would pick himself up from the disaster and one week before the World Championships, Evans made history. With his third placing he became the first Australian to finish on the podium of the Vuelta a Espana, the seasons third and final Grand Tour.

Read how Cadel Evans noted the change in the public's perception of him following the 2008 Tour de France – click here.

Despite Evans' phenomenal result in the Vuelta, one is left wondering what might have been. On final results, he was 1min 32secs behind the winner Alejandro Valverde but he had lost 1min 33secs on a bad tyre change following a puncture on Stage 13. Evans has often described the feeling of standing second or third on the podium as 'sickening;' and this was another example to add to his list. But que sera, sera and Evans is frank -

"There I actually got to do the race lead-in that I wanted to do and I think the results speak for themselves."

And so, somewhere over the rainbow, Evans has found BMC Racing Team.

"I look forward to working with a new team, in a new environment, towards my same goals; honouring the rainbow jersey at the highest level of the sport, and ultimately at the highest step of the Tour de France podium."

Cadel Evans: Close to Flying with Rob Arnold is available now.