156: Phil Anderson

Phil Anderson is an Australian cycling legend.

In a sport dominated by Europeans - Phil was the first non-European rider to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour De France.

Think about the Jamaican Bobsled team turning up at the Olympics but actually winning.

That’s what it was like - a rider from a country no one associated with cycling, riding so well he wore the leader’s jersey during the Tour De France.

He’s still a big part of world cycling, he does a lot for young riders and regularly leads riders around Europe on guided tours of the very same mountains that the big cycling classics are ridden on.

After swimming - Cycling is the 2nd most popular participation sport in the country, more people cycle than AFL, League, Union, Netball and Surfing COMBINED.

It’s a big deal.

With so many bikes on the road, cyclist safety is a subject very close to my heart.

Every cyclist has had a near-death experience, and every cyclist knows someone who’s been seriously injured in a traffic accident.

That’s where the Amy Gillett foundation comes in.

They campaign at a policy level to help change the traffic laws around the country, pushing the “A Meter Matters” message all around Australia.

So here’s a conversation we recorded the weekend of Amy’s Gran Fondo, the big event that the foundation puts on every year - a 120Km along a fully closed Great Ocean Road down in VIC.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

X OG