Charity rider way out in front to fund talent of the future

By the time the 2018 OVO Energy Tour of Britain gets under way from Pembrey Country Park in South Wales tomorrow, one rider will already be way out ahead of the field, wending his way along the stage two route from Cranbrook to Barnstaple in Devon.

Phil Jones, managing director of Brother UK and by his own admission a “plodding slightly overweight cyclist about to turn 50”, is tackling the entire 1,136km route one day ahead of the race to raise money for the Dave Rayner Fund, a trust set up to help promising riders fulfil their potential as professional cyclists.

It is a worthy cause. While the picture at the elite end of the sport in this country looks rosy from the outside – at least on the men’s side – with Team Sky having won six of the last seven Tours de France with British riders, and British Cycling continuing to sweep all before it at Olympic level, that success distorts a far less healthy picture further down the pro pyramid.

The demise this week of Aqua Blue Sport, an Irish UCI Professional Continental team, was illustrative of what is a brutal struggle for investment lower down the food chain, where return on investment is not nearly so great as on the World Tour. There are rumours of further bombshells regarding domestic British teams in the coming days and weeks.

So while the field this year may feature two British Tour de France champions and a host of star names in one of the strongest fields assembled by organisers Sweetspot, and while Aqua Blue’s sudden departure may have opened the door to Team Wiggins, it is also abundantly clear there is a need to help young riders navigate their ways through the choppy waters of professional cycling, allowing them time to establish themselves.

This is where the Dave Rayner Fund comes in. Set up in 1995 in memory of former professional cyclist Dave Rayner, it has supported over 250 riders in the last 23 years, including big names such as David Millar, Charly Wegelius, Hannah Barnes, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Abby Mae Parkinson, Ian Stannard, Dan Mclay, Dan Martin and Adam Yates.

“Its record of success when it comes to finding young talent is exemplary,” notes Jones, “so I can’t think of a better place to direct my donations to really reach the grass roots.” The gratitude those riders feel towards the fund can be seen in the fact that many of them return every autumn to the annual fundraising dinner, sometimes bringing famous friends with them. Triple world champion Peter Sagan is rumoured to be going this year. Jones will be hoping to hand them a £50,000 cheque before then.

He will be joined on his ride this week by James Golding, a useful ally as the holder of the world record for the furthest distance cycled in seven days, and various sporting celebrities at various stages, including the former Wales rugby captain Ryan Jones (“I plan to sit in his slipstream all day,” quips Phil Jones), GB paracyclist and adventurer Jaco van Gass, plus members of the many professional teams that Brother UK support.

“The recent Tour de France victory of Geraint Thomas has helped to shine a spotlight on cycling and show people across the country what talent we have here in the UK,” Jones explains of his motivation. “What’s not always recognised is how challenging it is to become a professional in the sport, particularly for those who don’t have the financial backing or are not part of the elite programme of British Cycling backed by Sport England.

“People see the so-called ‘Medal Factory’ at British Cycling and they see Sky churning out Tour de France winners. They think the sport is rich. But the reality is that at the domestic level there is a huge funding challenge.

“We want to shine a light on that. If all the fans who care about cycling gave the price of a coffee and a cake, it would fund multiple riders through the pro ranks. If we can get 10,000 people to donate just £5 then we’ll have hit our £50,000 target. We know it’s a big ask but considering 800,000 viewers tuned in to watch the race every day last year and hundreds of thousands will be by the roadside, it’s definitely achievable if we all pull together for the future of the sport.” Visit https://www.d ave ray ne r fund. co.uk/ for more details of the challenge