Max Gawn
20/11/2024Every morning, when the cyclists prepare for the start of the stage, you can recognize some of them. Figures that are distinguished from the rest by some particularity or a certain familiar gesture. Although none of them is more unmistakable at the Saudi dawn than Max Gawn.
Gawn stands out thanks to his two meters and eight centimeters in height. A beacon in a sea of cyclists, amateurs and professionals, who look small beside him.
For some people, Max Gawn’s name is that of a true legend of his sport. ‘Gawny’ is one of the great Australian rules football stars of recent years. He has been a seven-time All-Australian and Player of the Year in his discipline in 2018.
“I love cycling, although I don’t normally get into the dirt that much. I do more road than mountain cycling,” explains the 32-year-old colossus. “I love adventure and I don’t get as many opportunities to ride races like this, so when they come up I always ask myself, ‘Why not?’”
For Gawn two things stand out above the rest of what he’s experienced so far in the NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia: “The scenery and the food. I’m eating better than in a lot of fancy restaurants.” Two reasons to be here and to repeat another year: “We’ll see how much sand is left, but I’d almost say count me in 2025. Just almost…”
