Mane attraction

Almost spent a ludicrous sum of money on a cuddly toy over the weekend. I wasn’t shopping for my daughter, I was at the Dave Rayner dinner and one of the auction lots was a Tour de France Crédit Lyonnais Lion, donated by Chris Froome.

I’ve always wanted one of these. I’ve never been fussed about souvenir jerseys in frames, but genuine TDF lions are like gold dust (the legitimacy of ones on ebay is doubtful).

I had a spending limit, and the auction surpassed that almost immediately, eventually going for £2,300. Froome’s yellow jersey and Tom Pidcock’s World Champs jersey were other highlights helping raise money for the fund and riders in 2018. The fund and its place in the UK scene remain a highlight for me. Once I was applying for backing, now I can do my bit to support it.

On a completely different note, we’re looking for feedback on CW. Our readers have never been afraid of telling us what they think (and we do listen, promise!) so two and a half years on from our redesign we’re running a survey to get your input. Follow this link — po.st/cwreadersurvey17 — to give us feedback on this week’s issue and help us shape the future of your magazine.