Australians are rather accustomed to waking up in the morning to the news that one of their compatriots has taken a stage victory at the Tour de France, in fact there’s only been one edition in the last ten years where there hasn’t been at least one stage victory for the nation to celebrate. The yellow jersey, however, is another matter entirely.
The last time an Australian rider pulled on the maillot jaune was in 2015, but then on Wednesday Jai Hindley grasped an unexpected opportunity on stage 5 and rode away not only to stage victory, but also right to the top of the overall leaderboard.
Only one Australian, Cadel Evans, has worn yellow on the Champs-Élysées but, while Hindley was always seen as a podium contender behind the clear-cut favourites of Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), after his efforts on the first day in the Pyrenees there will also be hopes emerging that the 2022 Giro d’Italia winner could perhaps even work his way further up those podium steps.
Whatever happens next the 27-year-old can count his debut Tour a success, as he has taken a stage victory and become the eighth Australian in the history of the race to wear the maillot jaune.
We take a look back at each of those eight who have donned the yellow jersey, right from when Phil Anderson began to pave the way in 1981.
Phil Anderson, 1981 and 1982
- Days in yellow – 1 day in 1981, 9 days in 1982
Phil Anderson never expected to be in yellow when he lined up to race his very first Tour de France for Peugeot-Esso-Michelin in support of the team’s French leader Jean-René Bernaudeau. In fact, he really wasn’t sure what he was getting into, given that at that stage very little news from the Tour de France filtered back to Australia. However on stage 3 the then 23 year old found himself riding in the front group on stage 5 in the Pyrenees between Saint-Gaudens and Saint-Lary-Soulan in a group including Bernard Hinault. The only problem was that his team leader Bernaudeau wasn’t up there as well.
“I think I just got wrapped up in the emotion of it all,” Anderson told Cyclingnews in 2011 in a feature celebrating the 30th anniversary of that day. “I didn’t play the role I was meant to but I was reminded by that time it was too late. The team possibly would have preferred…
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