Tour of Britain One Day Ahead - Phil Jones & James Golding

Phil Jones MBE, Managing Director, Brother UK Ltd

News has broken today that I’ll be riding the 2018 Tour of Britain one day ahead of the official race.

With the ambitious goal to raise a large sum of money (£50K+) for the Dave Rayner Fund, who financially support promising young bike riders to race in Belgium and gain critical experience on their journey to one day become professional, it'll be the toughest thing I've ever done.

I’ll be joined on the ride by 7 day world record holder - James Golding - someone who I have been fortunate to get to know well through cycling.  James is an inspiring character who I’ll be delighted to have at my side.  

Reasons for Doing It

• I’m turning 50 this year and wanted a BHAG to aim for (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).
• It will be the 10 year anniversary of my getting back into road cycling after a break of more than 20 years. 
• The company that I run (Brother UK) also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
• To raise money for the Dave Rayner Fund to give the opportunity for more promising young riders to race in Belgium as part of their development.  Big Goal - £50K.

James Golding - 7 Day World Record Holder

Three Main Messages

• Extraordinary people can do extraordinary things.  James is the perfect example of this. Fighting back from cancer and given a 5% chance of survival, he went on from great adversity to compete in many major cycling challenges and then ultimately went on to secure the 7 day distance world record (1766.2 miles). My first long ride in 2008 was Manchester to Liverpool.  Back then, that was a big distance (30 miles).  Today that would be a short training ride, so it’s surprising where you can end up.  By taking that first step or first ride, you’ll be surprised where it can lead you.

• Cycling is great for your overall wellbeing - physical and mental.  In 2008, I was overweight, sedentary and fast heading towards 18 stones in weight (114kg). My job is pressurised with a lot of responsibility and my weight was spiraling.   Riding a bike has seen my weight drop dramatically (now 85kg), my cardiac fitness improve dramatically and - as importantly - cycling has been an outlet for creative thinking, de-stressing and my overall mental health.  I’d like other people of all ages to hear that message and maybe swing their leg over a saddle again, it’s never too late (or too early).  In particular, I want to highlight that men need to ‘speak up, not man up’ if they are struggling to cope with their own mental health and that cycling is a great preventer/release mechanism for stress.   

• Fulfilling the potential of promising young racers.  As a sponsor in the UK domestic racing scene, you can see how much it depends on volunteers and goodwill (like many sports).  All the main money is pointed towards the ‘medal factory’ and if you are not on the elite programmes then it can be very difficult to reach your potential.  For me that means many young people may not fulfill their true capabilty as an elite road cyclist and The Dave Rayner Fund addresses part of that gap. The fund has already contributed to the careers of many elite cyclists including Dan Martin (UAE Emirates), David Millar (Retired), Hannah Barnes (Canyon SRAM), Geraint Thomas (Sky), Nikki Brammeier (Former World CX Champion), Tao Geoghan-Hart (Sky), Owain Doull (Sky) and Matt Brammeier (Aqua Blue).

10 ways you can help

1. Please help me publicise the ride by sharing on social media.  I’ll be posting updates via Twitter and Instagram - @roadphil 
2. Help me to raise some money through your own fundraising initiatives and donate via the Dave Rayner website.  Crack On. Do a challenge.  Push that perimeter.
3. Donate something.  If you can afford a fiver -brilliant.  A tenner - perfect.  Twenty - high five!  If you are a millionaire, are you feeling generous?  Donations can be made via the Dave Rayner Fund website www.daveraynerfund.co.uk
4. Can you help with costs as a sponsor?  Get in touch.
5. Can you help en route?  If you are a sports therapist for example, would you be prepared to come and give us a treatment?  
6. Would you like to join a leg?  Each day we will aim to do something interesting and will invite up to four people to join us in exchange for a donation.  Keep an eye on social media.
7. Would you like to do our social media for us during the week?  It is a fundraiser, so if you fancy eight days of hard work and long hours for no reward, step up!
8. Are you a hotel in one of the start towns?  Would you be prepared to donate us three rooms and we'll shine a light on you?
9. Can you donate a super auction item for us to help raise funds? We plan to run a series of auctions and other events in the run up to the Tour of Britain.  
10. Be the difference.  Take an action on any if the items 1-9.  One thing I have learned is that the UK cycling community is fantastic and look after their own.  Let's give these promising young racers the start they need and let's see if we can get them to a full career in the sport of cycling.

Sponsors

Huge thanks to the following people and companies for their assistance: -

• Main Sponsor - TBA (Available for £2,500).
• Bike sponsor - Canyon (Phil Jones); Trek (James Golding)
• Cycling Kit - Kalas
• Nutrition Sponsor - Secret Training
• The Poole Agency - PR/Content