Former Shepparton Cycling Club president Ian Maher made a brief return to the club in 2024.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Former Shepparton Cycling Club (SCC) president Ian Maher has been hailed for his transformative efforts within the sport - as the popular figure prepares to be inducted into the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame.
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A true renaissance man, the now-commentator and broadcaster is credited with having masterminded a host of initiatives which made Shepparton a national epicentre of the sport in the 1990s.
His glittering run as president of the SCC famously coincided with the emergence of homegrown Olympic gold medallist Brett Lancaster in what proved to be a glory era for cycling in the region some three decades ago.
The heroics of ‘Burt’ on the world stage - while representing Australia at the Games in Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) - were the source of great pride to thousands residing in the Goulburn Valley as he earned his place in history.
Representing the nation in the Teams Pursuit event, the icon eventually claimed gold in Athens - this after inspiring countless of budding Victorian cyclists as he formed part of the record-breaking Australian team at the 2002 and 2003 world track championships.
Back on home turf, Lancaster’s international success helped the popularity of cycling grow exponentially, with Maher’s leadership having quickly made the SCC the envy of the region following his appointment as club president in 1994.
Ian Maher in his natural habitat calling the racing at Shepparton Velodrome during the 2024 festive period.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Although the now-commentator seldom took to the track during his time, his revolutionary impact on overseeing affairs at the Shepparton Velodrome in that era cannot be denied.
Before the turn of the new millennium, his magic touch as everything from president to commissaire meant that the club grew steadily from 30 to 200 members just prior to the turn of the century.
Ex-SCC club secretary Chris Wilkins - who served from 1990 until 2004 - spoke in glowing terms about his friend as he recalled a historic period in the region for cycling during the height of the success of hometown hero Lancaster.
“Brett [Lancaster] was a junior and pedalled well, he was very eager - Ian could see that this guy was good,” he said, looking back at how Maher helped the future Tour de France 2014 and 2015 time trial victor.
“He was natural when he ventured onto the track, he was quickly adopted into the Australian Institute for Sport. I guess the rest is history.“
Maher’s innovative approach meant that race nights down at the Shepparton Velodrome race nights became a major feature of the social calendar in Victoria - as members travelled from as far as Echuca, Seymour, Wangaratta, Benalla and Albury-Wodonga to attend.
“It was a blessing in disguise when Ian joined, with his background, and he was able to raise sponsors and the Wednesday night at the Shepparton Velodrome used to see as many as seven different clubs attending,“ Wilkins said.
“It turned the club around as he had all these contacts that suddenly promoted the club and at one stage we were the fifth largest club in the state.”
“He had a big impact on the face of Victorian cycling and he sponsored and helped juniors by taking them all over Victoria - Buck Lancaster was one who fulfilled Ian’s dream of reaching the world level.“
“Back in those days, we had Elizabeth Taylor (Tadich), who represented Australia in the Tour de France, as well as David McKenzie, who was a member of the club too.”
“Ian changed the way that things were done, he changed how cycling was ran for the better and it worked.”
The former racer, who originally hails from Redditch in England, is certainly well-placed to judge the merits of his friend, having won five major bike races for the Shepparton Club previously.
The 2002 Australia Sports Medal holder recalled Maher having an infectious ambitious streak during his time at the helm of the SCC, which originally came about after daughter Stephanie joined the club some 22 years ago.
Eventually, the legendary figure left his post to run a motel in Nagambie, before embarking on a new job as chief executive of Cycling Victoria following on from his tenure in Shepparton over 25 years ago.
After a lifetime of extraordinary service to the sport across the state, Wilkins has welcomed the expected induction of Maher into the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame as ‘long overdue’.
“It was an era when cycling was everything - it was massive - and we virtually had to have people sitting outside on the balcony because of the amount of people attending meetings in the 1990s,” he said as he reflected on his pal’s legacy in Shepparton.
“He did that much work in the background that he wasn’t just a figurehead for cycling - he was a worker as well and that’s the sort of person he is, a brilliant man.”
