Brother UK Cycling Podcast - Celebrating The Rayner Foundation

The Rayner Foundation must be among the most successful charities in all of sport. Established in 1995, it has issued £1m in support via 521 grants and helped 84 young British riders to become professional cyclists. Its most successful graduates have won some of the biggest prizes in professional cycling. 

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 recently attended the Foundation’s annual dinner and charity auction in Leeds. 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 and its Team Watto feeder squad. 

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.

Tim caught up too with Hannah Walker and Calvert Churchill, the event’s host and auctioneer, respectively, and both former Rayner-funded riders. Their post-cycling success – Hannah is a commentator for Eurosport and GCN, while Calvert has become a cycling industry insider – offers a window on the Foundation’s broad vision of success.

Enjoy this reflection on the Rayner Foundation Dinner with Tim and Phil, in which they consider the Foundation’s impact on British cycle sport, the extraordinary achievements of its class of 2022 – five riders from a cohort of 30 signed professional contracts - and its ambition to recruit more female riders.

The pair also consider the challenges faced by the Foundation in such an uncertain economic climate, reflect on its increasing importance as British Cycling reduces the race days of its Olympic Academy road programme, and pay tribute to the Foundation’s late president, Brian Robinson, a giant of British cycle sport.

Anyone interested in the rich history of elite British road racing will wish to learn more about the late Dave Rayner, an exceptionally talented rider, and the foundation that has become his lasting legacy. Listen now on brother.co.uk or visit any leading podcast platform and search Brother UK Cycling Podcast.