‘Cadel: Lungs on Legs’ (Gilded Balloon at The Museum) is back at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for a second year, after well-deserved rave reviews and theatre awards last year. It was by far my favourite show at the Fringe in 2025, and I sang its praises to anyone who would listen – and those who possibly didn’t really want to. But I certainly persuaded many that it was worth a look-see, if for no other reason than that Connor Delves, playing Australia’s only Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, cycles hard almost non-stop throughout the show.
Delves is either a madman or a God: I think the latter. He takes method acting to another level. He trains like a pro sportsman to enable him to create this performance, and now he’s back in 2026 with a ‘bigger, better’ show, with a turntable so his bike can be revolved 360 degrees during the show, and there are lots more videos and footage, alongside a much bigger, air-conditioned venue. It seems to me bad enough having to train so hard just to put on a show, without the pressure of having to fill almost 250 seats a night for the duration of the Fringe. But Connor Delves is doing both, with yet more sell-out shows already this year.
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Cadel Evans, personified by Delves, always came second and they said he was jinxed. He did all the right things, put his fractured body – and head – through unbelievable stress and yet one thing after another seemed to stop him from achieving his goal. His coach had great faith that he could win the Tour de France, and Evans believed it too. But did others? And did it matter whether they did or not?
Why ‘Cadel: Lungs on Legs’ is a Must-See at the Edinburgh Fringe
Go see Connor Delves relive the agonies and ecstasies of pro cycling—of putting your body through unbearable pressure to achieve your dreams. Watch this incredible actor as he shows you what a professional cyclist has to go through to keep on hoping that his ambitions can be realised.
“Delves is either a madman or a God: I think the latter. He takes method acting to another level.“
And you don’t even have to like cycling or elite sports to love this show. I love yin yoga and qi gong – neither fast nor Olympic sports – and I can’t ride a bike, but I ADORE this show. And I’m in awe of Connor Delves. And if I’m honest, of his cheerleading Mum, who will give you a programme, sell you some merch and get you in line to get your photo taken with her marvellous son and/or THAT bike. Yes, it’s the actual one that Cadel Evans rode, and the cycle top is the one he wore when he won the Tour de France. How good is that? Suffice to say – Cadel approves of this show. And if you ARE a road racing fan, get this: the voice of Phil Liggett MBE introduces the show.
But for those of you who aren’t bothered by bikes or cyclists, except as a nuisance on the roads when you’re driving, think again. This show is about endurance and ambition and hardship and heart and self-belief and sacrifice and so many other human emotions that we can all understand and often have to battle with. For those of you old enough to remember, it has Chariots of Fire vibes, and it made me cry this year for a second time.
This is a masterpiece and like Evans and Delves, it’s got legs and it’s going to go very, very far.
Do not miss it.
Show details
Venue: Venue 64: Gilded Balloon at the Museum, Lothian Street, EH1 1HB (Google Maps)
Date(s): Thu 06 Aug to Sun 30 Aug (22 shows)
Time(s): 5:55pm (65 mins)
Age recommendation: 12+
Price: From £13.5 (concessions available)
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