Britain's friendliest cycling rivals reunite

27.07.2010

Two decades after British cycling aces John Herety and Graham Jones vied with each other for the top world honours, the two legends recently joined forces to put The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Rides to the test.

The life-long friends and former cycling buddies saddled up to try out the 175km route of the South West Tour Ride ahead of the sportive in September. The event is part of a trio of cycling events the Charity is staging in partnership with The Tour of Britain, which offer people the unique opportunity to ride an official stage of the route, in Stoke-on-Trent, London, or across Devon and Somerset.

Herety, now the manager of the Rapha Condor Sharp team, and Jones, The Tour of Britain Route Director and commentator, first met as teenagers and rode against each other for years before finally joining forces in the Ever Ready/Marlboro squad, under Mick Bennett. They have remained firm friends over the last 20 years but have never taken to their bikes together again – until now.

Herety and Jones were filmed for a special video for the Charity as they cycled together across the notoriously steep terrain between Minehead and Teignmouth.

The film captures the hilarious banter of the pair as they exchange friendly jibes whilst tackling the spectacular coastline, with Jones, who designed the route, finally breaking away for a challenging finish up the notorious Peak Hill. The pair eventually called it a day and reunited to rest their weary calves over a classic Devon cream tea by the sea.

Jones, who completed the Tour de France five times and recently covered the event for BBC Radio Five Live, said: "It was good fun filming the video with John. He was always more of a sprinter and a fast finisher, whereas I preferred the tough, hilly races. My commentating work does make me nostalgic for my cycling days, however then I remember how hard it was and that brings me back down to earth!

"The pro Tour Rides will be tough as they are very hilly, and all of our riders will need to pace themselves and prepare well with their training. In the South West, Peak Hill will be particularly challenging and in Stoke-on-Trent it will be the middle section as there are hardly any flat roads at all.

"My father had prostate cancer and died last November, so this is a cause very close to my heart and I hope lots of people sign up for one of The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Rides this year and support the Charity going forward."

Former British Road Race Champion, John Herety said: "Graham and I raced against each other quite a bit over the years - he was much better than me though! We were always close mates and we used to get together for a catch-up at the start of races. I first met Graham when I was about 14 years old. He was an excellent cyclist even back then and he taught me a lot - he was always the classier cyclist. He is a good climber whereas I am more of a sprinter.

"It was always strange to go up against each other and it was great when we got the chance to ride together in the same team. It was good fun getting together to test out the South West Tour Ride. It was one hell of a mission though and cyclists are going to have to prepare themselves for a tough route."

The Charity is staging the three cycling events across the UK, as part of its Unite ByCycling initiative, which aims to bring people together on two wheels to help increase understanding of prostate cancer and fight the disease. The Tour Rides offer cyclists of all ages and abilities the chance to follow in the tracks of the pros and cycle a stage of The Tour. The charity hopes people will join the thousands of people who have already signed up for this once in a lifetime chance to ride unfettered across some of Britain’s most impressive countryside and at the same time help raise and funds to fight the disease which kills one man every hour in the UK.

• In a brand new event for 2010, cyclists will be able to tackle the tough route John Herety and Graham Jones tried out, which traverses the scenic South West, travelling 175km from Minehead to the South Devon coast or covering part of the route over a distance of 70km, on Sunday 5 September

• Stoke-on-Trent, which saw 1,300 riders participate in the inaugural Tour Ride last year including British Road Race Champion Kristian House, will again play host to cyclists, offering a gruelling 161km route which starts and finishes in Stoke-on-Trent in the City’s centenary year, as well as an 80km challenge event and 5 – 25km Family Ride on Sunday 26 September.

• There will also be a Family Ride in London along the final leg of the Tour just hours before the closing stage on Saturday 18 September, providing a rare chance to cycle traffic free past some of East London’s key architectural landmarks including the Royal Victoria Dock and the Thames Barrier Park

The Prostate Cancer Charity's Head of Community Fundraising, Claire Walsh, said: "We are delighted that Graham and John came with us to test out the South West Tour Ride. It was great seeing them both cycling along together and enjoying the route, full of banter. The ride promises to be an epic challenge, which even put the former pros through their paces. We are hoping that the video will give cyclists an insight in to what the Tour Ride will be like on the day and will encourage them to sign up and take part. It would be great to see people from across the UK riding together in an effort to Unite ByCycling and raise awareness of prostate cancer. I would encourage people to sign up as quickly as possible as places are going fast."

To find out more and sign up to one of The Prostate Cancer Charity's Tour Rides, visit www.tourride.co.uk

The video/film of Graham Jones and John Herety can be seen at: http://www.tourride.co.uk/media-centre.asp