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| Photo Credit - Russ Ellis |
Phil Jones MBE, the
Managing Director of Brother UK, will ride the entire route of the
2018 OVO EnergyTour of Britain in September, one day ahead of the
elite professional riders who will tackle the same demanding eight-stage
course.
Jones, 49, will
ride with cancer survivor James Golding, the world record holder for the
greatest distance ridden in seven days, in pursuit of an ambitious fundraising
target of £50,000 for the Dave Rayner Fund, a voluntary organisation that
supports young British riders racing abroad.
Under Jones’
leadership, Brother UK has become the most influential supporter of grassroots
British cycle sport, providing consistent, committed support in a range of
areas for the last seven years. It now helps seven development teams, as well
as sponsoring some of Britain’s biggest races and funding a fleet of neutral
service support vehicles.
Both Jones and
Brother UK turn 50 this year, and attempting to raise £50,000 for a fund that
has allowed some of the most successful British riders of the last 30 years to
pursue their dream of turning professional will add to the technology giant’s
impressive commitment to the sport.
“Turning 50 in
2018 made me think about doing something big in terms of a physical challenge,while also
raising awareness for the excellent work of the Dave
Rayner Fund,” Jones explained.
“It’s a tough
environment to succeed outside of the elite
Olympic development programmes. In Britain, we have so much
talent available, and we must provide adequate pathways for
those individuals to succeed. When you consider how many of
today’s professional riders have been helped by the Dave
Rayner Fund, it’s clear to see that if we want to continue
producing some of the best athletes in the
sport, we need to help fund
their racing abroad.”
The Tour of
Britain, which has a history stretching back to the post war years, has grown
in popularity each year since race organiser SweetSpot re-launched the event in
2004. Its position on the calendar attracts some of the biggest names in the
peloton, who use the race as final preparation for the annual World Road Race
Championships. A race that even elite professionals regard as demanding will
offer Jones and Golding the ultimate challenge.
“This will be
the hardest thing I’ve ever done on a bike, for sure,” Jones
said. “Having started road cycling 10 years ago, I’ve
experienced first-hand how much progress you can make with your physical
and mental wellbeing by riding a bike. My first charity challenge was 30
miles from Manchester to Liverpool in 2008, which felt like a huge challenge, and now I’m ready to join James Golding
in taking on the UK’s leading multi-stage race, totalling around
1500km of distance. Cycling has given me so much, and I am keen
to give something back to the sport.”
The OVO Energy
Tour of Britain is Britain’s premier multi-stage race, unfolding
over eight days. The 2018 parcours is particularly challenging, with a hilly route through some of
the country’s most iconic landscapes. Previous British winners of the
race include former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins
(2013), and the reigning British road and time-trial
champion, Steve Cummings (2016).
One of the
vehicles from Brother UK’s neutral service fleet, commissioned by Brother for
use in British professional races, will follow the pair in support.
Financial partners
keen to support the costs of staging the eight-day event are sought,
with sponsorship going directly to the Dave Rayner Fund. A number of
fundraising events are planned before the challenge, and Jones is
asking road cyclists across the UK to donate with a view
to contributing to the £50,000 target perhaps by giving the cost
of a cappuccino and cake - £5.00 - via the Dave Rayner website - www.daveraynerfund.co.uk
Speaking on
behalf of the Dave Rayner Fund, former British champion Tim
Harris said: “It’s great to see an initiative like this. Riding
multi-stage events takes a lot of preparation. It won’t be easy by
any stretch of the imagination, and Phil will need to be in
peak physical and mental condition. I know Phil will be up for the
challenge, and having a world record holder like James by his
side will push him on to the finish.”
OVO Energy Tour
of Britain Race Director Mick Bennett said: “This year’s OVO Tour of
Britain is particularly challenging, as many of the teams use this race as
a springboard to
the World Championships. We’ve increased the
climbing this year to reflect the World
Championship course in Innsbruck, so it’s going to be a hard, tough,
race for anyone riding the route.”
Phil Jones’ ‘One
Day Ahead’ challenge will start In Carmanthenshire on Saturday September
1, 2018,and finish in London on Sunday September 9, 2018, the same
day as the race (allowing for a rest day).
Further information on the
challenge can be found at www.race-pace.net and donations can be made via the Dave Rayner Fund website at www.daveraynerfund.co.uk
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