Meet John Trevorrow, the man behind the Jayco Herald Sun Tour

THE last stage of the Jayco HS Tour is rolling off the top of Arthurs Seat when John Trevorrow pushes the button on the sun roof. “You’re too anxious boys,” Trevorrow barks.

Herald Sun Tour cyclists previewing the course. Chris Froome is taken on tour of course by John Trevorrow. Picture: Tim Carrafa

THE fourth and pivotal last stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour is rolling off the top of Arthurs Seat when John Trevorrow pushes the button on the sun roof.

The race director slowly emerges in front of a cruising peloton in the neutral zone, readying the flag to signal the start of the race.

“Good luck fellas,” Trevorrow yells.

A chorus of “Thanks Iffy” comes back from the bunch, with the selection of international riders now well aware of the triple national champion’s nickname.

Suddenly, Trevorrow’s cap flies off his head in the wind and is plucked mid-air by Jack Bobridge, incidentally the current national champion. The field laugh.

But behind the laughter there’s tension. This is the defining stage and everyone knows it.

The race hasn’t even started yet when we take a sharp right-hand turn and, despite the car speeding along, the field surround us.

“You’re too anxious boys,” Trevorrow barks.

Team Sky workhorse Luke Rowe pipes up with: “We just want to race.”

Iffy leads two0time Le Tour champion Chris Froome! Picture: David Caird

Then, after 3.4km of rolling towards Red Hill, Trevorrow drops the flag.

Rowe squeezes the race radio button under his jersey. “Alright boys, let’s get ready to rumble,” he says into the microphone.

The Herald Sun has been granted a unique look at Australia’s oldest stage race, getting ringside seats in the race director’s car for the last day of the 63rd Herald Sun Tour - arguably the biggest edition in the race’s history.”

Rumble would prove the perfect word as we watch a series of scorching breakaway attempts shutdown in the opening kilometres.

Eventually, persistence pays off for Fumiyuki Beppu (Trek-Segafredo), Ben Hill (Attaque Team Gusto), Pat Shaw (Avanti IsoWhey) and Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEDGE), with the quartet building a lead of 2min21secs.

“You can’t pick a moment when there hasn’t been attacking riding or breakaway attempts,” Trevorrow says.

“In the old days they’d be some rolling around before the business end of the stage, but you drop the flag these days and it’s on.”

In the car the race radio is busy. “Fast descent, fast decent”, “moto’s move out”, “convoy, single file”.

As the lead riders turn onto Dromana’s Whitehill Road on the way Arthurs Seat, Trevorrow jumps on the phone. “How’s the buzz up there mate? Good?”

But he didn’t need to wait long to see confirmation of a massive crowd on Arthurs Seat. By the time we’re driving up it for the first time, Team Sky has reeled in the breakaway and is doing what it does best - mobilising on the front and starting to dish out pain.

Near the top, we see emerging Adelaide climber Chris Harper try to go around Froome to score more King of the Mountain points. The Tour de France champion is having none of it and leads the field over.

Cycling superstar Chris Froome is taken on tour of course by John Trevorrow. Picture: Tim Carrafa

“Sensational,” Trevorrow says.

“It doesn’t get much better does it? Chris Froome racing for the King of the Mountain points.”

When Kiwi Joe Cooper derails the “Sky Train” with his bold attack at the top of the second climb and breaks clear, there’s only one rider able to follow - Froome.

“We have a bike race,” Trevorrow beams.

As the pair start the last climb up Arthurs Seat, we watch out the window as Froome launches the sort of acceleration that has won him the biggest races on Europe’s most intimidating peaks.

Free of cooper and free to fly, Froome is roared home by thousands of screaming fans as he makes the final 3km ascent in a sizzling time of just over seven minutes.

He is the newly crowned Herald Sun Tour champion when Trevorrow finds him behind the stage and puts an arm around him.

“Thanks for coming to my race,” Trevorrow says.

“It’s been my pleasure,” comes the reply.