Evans wins third Oppy

Cadel Evans added another trophy to his collection with a record-equalling third Oppy medal as the Australian cyclist of the year.

Evans, who became the first Australian to win the elite men's road race at the world championships in Switzerland in September, is just the second three-time winner of the Oppy – named after the legendary Sir Hubert Opperman – in the award's 51-year history.

Peter Besanko was the recipient of the highest honour in Australian cycling in 1979, 1981 and 1984.

Evans also won in 2006 and 2007.

The two-time Tour de France runner-up was also named the people's choice cyclist of the year and the elite Australian male road cyclist of the year at the Cycling Australia awards in Melbourne on Sunday night.

The win was just reward for the 32-year-old, who also finished third in the Tour of Spain.

That followed a horrid Tour de France in which he could only manage 30th place, months later ending his association with Silence-Lotto to join BMC.

Evans beat out world champion mountain biker Jared Graves and Cameron Meyer, who claimed the points race gold medal and two silver medals at the track world championships.

Last year's Oppy medal winner Anna Meares – who won three gold medals at the weekend's World Cup meeting in Melbourne – took out the women's track cyclist of the year for the fifth time.