Maillot Jaune Club
Australian cycling organisation
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The Maillot Jaune Club is an Australian cycling organisation and social club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1998 by former Australian cyclists Gordon Johnson and John Trevorrow, the club was established to bring together past and present racing cyclists and cycling supporters and to maintain connections with competitive cycling.[1][2]
The club holds social and fundraising events, supports the development of junior cycling in Australia and is associated with the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame, through which riders and other contributors to Victorian cycling have been recognised.[3][2]
History
The Maillot Jaune Club was formed in Melbourne in 1998 by former Australian cycling champions Gordon Johnson and John Trevorrow.[1] Its original purpose was to provide a social organisation through which former and current racing cyclists, supporters and enthusiasts could meet at luncheons and other events and maintain their connection with the sport.[1]
Johnson was an Australian track cyclist and world sprint champion, while Trevorrow competed internationally as a road cyclist and won the Sun Tour three times.
The club's name derives from the French term maillot jaune, the yellow jersey worn by the leader of the general classification in the Tour de France. The Tour de France and Australian participation in the race have remained recurring themes of the club's activities.
As the organisation developed, its activities expanded beyond its original social role to include fundraising, recognition of contributions to Victorian cycling and financial support for developing cyclists.[1][2]
Patrons
The Maillot Jaune Club's patrons have included prominent Australian cyclists, particularly riders associated with the Tour de France.[4]
Patrons listed by the club have included:
- Phil Anderson
- Stuart O'Grady
- Robbie McEwen
- Bradley McGee
- Cadel Evans
- Baden Cooke
- Simon Gerrans
- Rohan Dennis
- Michael Matthews
- Jai Hindley
The patrons include several of the Australian cyclists who have worn the Tour de France yellow jersey. Anderson became the first Australian and first non-European rider to wear the jersey in 1981. O'Grady, McGee, McEwen, Evans, Gerrans, Dennis and Hindley have also led the Tour's general classification, while Evans became the first Australian winner of the Tour in 2011.
Other patrons have achieved success in Tour de France stages and classifications. Cooke won the points classification in 2003, while Matthews has won multiple Tour stages.
The patrons participate in club functions and have supported fundraising and junior-development activities, including through the provision of cycling memorabilia for fundraising auctions.[4][2]
Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame
The Maillot Jaune Club is associated with the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame, which recognises cyclists and other people who have made significant contributions to cycling in Victoria.
The Hall of Fame was operating by the early 2000s. A contemporary Victorian cycling publication described the Maillot Jaune Club as a social cycling organisation which raised funds for cycling and inducted candidates into the Victorian Hall of Fame.[5]
In January 2004, four new members were inducted during a gala dinner associated with the Jayco Bay Classic: club co-founder Gordon Johnson, John Craven, Bill Cooper and Olympic and world champion Dean Woods. Cyclingnews reported that approximately 200 guests attended the event, which was hosted by cycling commentator Phil Liggett and attended by figures including Phil Anderson, Graeme Brown, Baden Cooke and Bradley McGee.[3]
The Hall of Fame has continued to recognise competitors from road and track cycling as well as people whose contributions to cycling have been made through coaching, administration, development and other roles.
Members
Members inducted into the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame have included Australian, world and Olympic champions and other cyclists recognised for their contribution to the history of cycling in Victoria.
Among the documented inductees are Gordon Johnson, John Craven, Bill Cooper and Dean Woods, who were inducted at the club's 2004 presentation.[3]
Hall of Fame presentations have continued to form part of the Maillot Jaune Club's activities, recognising riders from different generations of Victorian cycling.
Associate Members
In addition to induction as a member of the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame, the Maillot Jaune Club awards Associate Membership to people recognised for their contribution to cycling. Associate Membership is distinct from induction into the Hall of Fame.
Associate Members have included Ted Sanders, Dave Sanders and Brad Robins.
Ted Sanders was a cycling coach, mentor and administrator associated with Victorian cycling and the development of young riders. He was an early mentor of Phil Anderson, who subsequently became the first Australian and first non-European cyclist to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France.[6]
David "Dave" Sanders was a cyclist and long-serving cycling coach. He spent 26 years with the Victorian Institute of Sport and worked with Australian cyclists including Cadel Evans, Simon Gerrans, Simon Clarke, Baden Cooke and Brett Lancaster.[7]
Ted Sanders and Brad Robins were among those publicly recorded as receiving Associate Membership of the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame.
Activities
The Maillot Jaune Club holds social functions, cycling-related presentations and luncheons bringing together former competitors, current cyclists and supporters of the sport.[1]
Events have included functions associated with the Tour de France, presentations connected with the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame and fundraising activities supporting cycling development.
The club has used auctions of cycling memorabilia as a fundraising activity. Items donated or signed by prominent Australian cyclists and club patrons have been auctioned to raise money for developing riders.[2]
The organisation has also maintained links with Victorian racing through support and sponsorship of cycling events, including junior competition associated with the Austral Wheel Race.
Junior cycling support
Support for junior and developing cyclists has become a significant part of the Maillot Jaune Club's activities. The club raises funds to assist young Australian cyclists with the costs associated with training, competition and international representation.[2]
Its support has included direct financial assistance to junior riders, sponsorship of junior cycling competition and fundraising through cycling memorabilia.[2]
In 2025, the club donated $22,000 to junior members of the Australian national cycling team, providing $1,000 to each of 22 road and track cyclists selected to represent Australia internationally.[2] The recipients included riders selected for the UCI Junior Track World Championships in the Netherlands and the Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.[2]
AusCycling reported that the funding was raised through club activities including auctions of cycling memorabilia donated or signed by the club's patrons.[2]
The club has also supported junior racing in Victoria. At the 2025 Austral Wheelrace program, the Maillot Jaune Club sponsored the Junior Austral Wheelrace, which included boys' and girls' competitions.[8]