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Stephen Hodge was a highly-regarded domestique for some of cycling’s top European teams during the 1990s, rode at the Atlanta Olympics and is one of the few Australians to complete the Tour de France six times.
A popular and hard-working member of the peloton for four professional teams, Hodge is perhaps best known for twice completing the three gruelling Grand Tour races – Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana – in a year.
The 51-year-old on Friday resigned after 13 years as a director and vice-president of Cycling Australia after admitting to doping during his professional career “20 years ago”.
Hodge discovered his love of cycling as a teenager and joined the Canberra Cycling Club while studying for a Bachelor of Science at ANU.
He had a relatively late introduction to racing but his talent was quickly identified by a visiting Swiss amateur team in 1983 and he turned professional four years later with Swiss team KAS-Mavic.
Learning the tactics and intricacies of the sport under Irish great Sean Kelly, Hodge blossomed on the European Classics circuit.
Moving to the Caja-Rural Orbea team in 1989, he got his big chance when he lined up for his first Tour de France.
But when that team folded, he was promptly picked up by the new fellow Spanish outfit ONCE as a 28-year-old in 1990 and his career took off.
He was a loyal, hard-working team member, supporting top general classification riders Laurent Jalabert, Alex Zulle and Laurent Dufuax.
Even so, he was strong enough to place 19th in the Giro d’Italia and by 1991 Hodge was hardened enough to be racing up to 120 days a year.
He even found time to return to Australia to win the Alpine Tour and wore the green and gold in finishing eighth at the 1991 world championships in Stuttgart.
His made his third Tour de France appearance that year and his world ranking that year was a career-high 45.
In 1992 he helped ONCE team leader Laurent Jalabert win the sprinter’s jersey at the Tour de France, came home 26th in La Vuelta, 10th in Giro Lombardia, 19th at the world titles and a stage win in the Criterium International rounded out a huge year.
Hodge embarked on two of the biggest years in his career after signing for Festina-Lotus in 1994.
As team captain and riding alongside leading Frenchman Richard Virenque, Hodge completed the three Grand Tours.
He claimed his best Tour de France stage result in the same year, finishing third in stage 10 and in his final Tour de France in 1995, helped Virenque secure fifth overall and a record fourth King of the Mountain title.
Again, he completed the Grand Tour treble as well as a taxing schedule including Milan San Remo, Paris Roubaix, RVV, Amstel Gold, Tour de Romandie, Paris-Tours, and Volta Catalunya.
Before retiring in 1996, he rode in the road race and individual time trial at the Atlanta Olympics.
Hodge served on the board of Cycling Australia since 1999 is a patron of a number of charitable causes.
He runs a public relations and communications company based in Canberra and helped establish a group that collects and shares rare photographic works from the early years of the Tour de France.
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