Plenty of Aussie cyclists have been seen sporting yellow jerseys in recent years. Evans. Porte. Dennis. And Cameron Myer as recently as last weekend in Switzerland. But this guy was one of the first and arguably the most influential. Philip Grant Anderson was the first non-European rider to wear the famed maillot jaune.
At the peak of his on-road powers in the mid 80s, Anderson won the Tour de France Young Riders’ Classification (1982), 2 stages of the TdF, 1 stage of the Giro, Amstel Gold (1983) and the Dauphine (1985). He also finished on the podium of three of cycling’s Monuments: Flanders, Lombardia and Liege-Bastogne-Liege (twice) and book-ended his career with Commonwealth Games Gold Medals in 1978 and 1994.
Don’t tell the Poms, but he was actually born in London…
Carbon Addiction 