John Trevorrow
Australian cyclist, race promoter and journalist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Kenneth Trevorrow (born 18 May 1949) is an Australian former racing cyclist, cycling journalist, race promoter and administrator. During his racing career, he won the Australian national road race championship three consecutive times from 1978 to 1980 and the Sun Tour three times, in 1975, 1977 and 1979.[1] Internationally, he won a bronze medal in the road race at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games and represented Australia at the 1972 Summer Olympics.[2]
Morwell, Victoria, Australia
Race director
Journalist
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Kenneth Trevorrow | |||||||||||
| Born | 18 May 1949 Morwell, Victoria, Australia | |||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | |||||||||||
| Role | Rider (retired) Race director Journalist | |||||||||||
Medal record
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After retiring from competition, Trevorrow became a cycling journalist, race promoter and director. He founded the Bay Cycling Classic in 1989 and later became race director of the Herald Sun Tour.[3][1] In 1998, he co-founded the Maillot Jaune Club with former world sprint champion Gordon Johnson.[4] Trevorrow was inducted into the AusCycling Hall of Fame in 2025, recognising his contribution to Australian cycling as both a competitor and a race promoter and journalist.[1]
Early life
Trevorrow was born on 18 May 1949 and grew up in Morwell in the Latrobe Valley region of Victoria.[5]
His father, Joe Trevorrow, was a cyclist, and cycling formed part of Trevorrow's childhood. When the Sun Tour travelled through Gippsland during the 1950s, competitors were billeted at the Trevorrow family home in Morwell. Trevorrow later recalled listening to the visiting riders' racing stories as a young child and developing an ambition to compete in the Sun Tour himself.[5][3]
He subsequently became the first person from Morwell to be selected to compete at the Commonwealth Games.[5]
Cycling career
Commonwealth Games and Olympics
Trevorrow represented Australia at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland. Aged 21, he won the bronze medal in the men's road race.[2][5] The 105-mile (169 km) race was held in wet conditions on the final day of the Games.[5]
Two years later, Trevorrow represented Australia at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, competing in road cycling.[1]
Trevorrow returned to European competition in 1973 as part of an Australian team invited to contest major European amateur stage races by Australian expatriate Ron Webb.[1]
Australian racing
Trevorrow became one of Australia's leading road cyclists during the 1970s. He won the Sun Tour three times, taking the overall classification in 1975, 1977 and 1979.[1][5]
He also won the Australian professional road championship three consecutive times, in 1978, 1979 and 1980.[1]
His victories in the Sun Tour had particular personal significance because of his childhood connection with the race through the riders who had stayed at his family's home in Morwell.[5]
European racing
Trevorrow also competed in Europe during his career. His racing included appearances in major European events and the 1981 Giro d'Italia.[3]
His European career included a number of strong results without major victories, leading to the nickname "Iffy", derived from the expression "if only".[3]
Trevorrow's career belonged to a period when leading Australian professional cyclists commonly divided their racing between Australia and Europe rather than permanently basing themselves in the European professional peloton.[3]
Journalism and race promotion
Following his retirement from competitive cycling, Trevorrow became involved in cycling journalism and race organisation. He wrote about cycling for the Melbourne Herald and later contributed reporting to Cyclingnews.[3]
His work as a cycling journalist included reporting from the Tour de France.[6] He continued working as a cycling reporter later in life, including coverage of Australian riders at the Tour de France for News Corp Australia publications.[1]
Bay Cycling Classic
Trevorrow founded the Bay Cycling Classic, originally known as the Bay Crits, in 1989.[3][1]
The event was conceived as a series of summer criteriums held in locations where spectators were already congregating during the holiday period. This represented a departure from the traditional Australian cycling calendar, in which road racing was predominantly held during winter and track racing during summer.[3]
In 1994, Trevorrow persuaded Phil Anderson to compete in the Bay Classic. Anderson had not raced in Australia during the first 14 years of his European professional career. The success of Anderson's appearance contributed to Trevorrow expanding his summer road racing program the following year.[3]
Summer of Cycling
In 1995, Trevorrow expanded his summer cycling program beyond the Bay Crits. He added the Melbourne Classic, which also served as the Australian professional road championship, and the Mount Buller Cup. Together with the Bay Crits, the events were promoted as the Summer of Cycling.[3]
The series attracted international professional teams and riders to Australia and gained commercial sponsorship, including support from Jayco founder Gerry Ryan.[3]
Trevorrow also organised other Australian cycling events, including a professional national road championship based around Melbourne and a midweek mountain racing series televised by Network 10.[1]
Herald Sun Tour
Trevorrow began serving as race director of the Herald Sun Tour in 2017.[1] His appointment continued a long association with the event that began during his childhood and included his three victories as a rider in the 1970s.[5]
Maillot Jaune Club
In 1998, Trevorrow and former world sprint champion Gordon Johnson founded the Maillot Jaune Club in Melbourne.[4]
The organisation was established as a social club where former and current cyclists, supporters and cycling enthusiasts could meet at luncheons and other events. It subsequently expanded its activities to include fundraising and financial support for junior cycling.[4]
Trevorrow later became president of the organisation.[4] In 2025, AusCycling identified Trevorrow as the club's president and reported that the organisation had provided $22,000 to 22 Australian junior road and track cyclists selected for international competition.[7]
Honours
Trevorrow has received recognition for both his competitive career and his contribution to cycling following his retirement.
- 2013 – Life Member, Cycling Victoria[1]
- 2018 – Life Member, Cycling Australia[1]
- 2025 – Inducted into the AusCycling Hall of Fame[1]
AusCycling described Trevorrow's Hall of Fame recognition as reflecting both his achievements as a triple national road champion and Sun Tour winner and his continuing influence as a race promoter and reporter.[8]
Major results
1970
- 3rd
Road race, British Commonwealth Games
1975
- 1st Overall Sun Tour
1977
- 1st Overall Sun Tour
1978
- 1st
Road race, Australian National Road Championships
1979
- 1st Road race, Australian National Road Championships
- 1st Overall Sun Tour
1980
- 1st Road race, Australian National Road Championships