The Rayner Foundation occupies a special place in the affections of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast. Phil Jones MBE, the Managing Director of Brother UK, raised around £20,000 for the charity in 2018 by riding the entire route of the 2018 Tour of Britain, one day ahead of the race.
Phil and co-host Timothy John attended the Foundation’s annual dinner and charity auction in Leeds back in November. They were joined by two-time British circuit race champion Dean Downing, the guest for our first two episodes, and by Ian Watson, the manager of Team Brother UK-LDN . (now known as Hutchinson Brother UK)
While Phil kept a close eye on the auction and mingled with the Foundation’s trustees, including Keith Lambert, recipient of Cycling Weekly’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Tim collected interviews with Dean, Sam Watson, the Foundation’s Rider of the Year, and Tim Harris, a friend and team-mate of the late Dave Rayner.
Further podcasts were completed afterwards with four of the 2022 Rayner Foundation riders who graduated (or surely soon will) into the Professional Ranks
Oscar Onley was the first to talk to the podcast and this was before he was able to confirm that he has now signed a professional contract with the World Tour Team of DSM
Next up was the interview with Sam Watson. A graduate not only of the Rayner Foundation but another rider who went from a development team to a World Tour Team, in this instance Groupama FDJ. Sam was also the winner of Rayner Foundation Rider of the Year.
"Harrison Wood is a living, breathing demonstration of resilience. After moving to France as a teenager, he raced for four years, enjoying triumphs, setbacks and, as is inevitable for a racing cyclist, brutal crashes. He is now a professional cyclist, having signed a two-year contract with French heavyweights, Cofidis, last September. Harrison has enjoyed the support of The Rayner Foundation, a charity supporting young British riders to pursue their dream of racing abroad."
"Oliver Knight seems destined to be among the next cohort of young British riders to enter the elite UCI WorldTour. He ended last season by racing as an apprentice with the UAE Team Emirates squad led by two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar and now seeks a professional contract." He has hit the season hard already winning three times in 2023 with his amateur team AVC Aix. More to come we are sure.
You can listen to these audio interviews or you prefer to read, the transcripts are also in the links. Many thanks to Tim John, Phil Jones and Brother UK for their support of Cycling generally and the Rayner Foundation particularly.
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