A new road cycling race will take place this month in honour of one of Shropshire’s bike racing legends.
The inaugural ‘Mike Jones Trophy’ Road Race will take place on June 18 near Eaton Constantine, just outside Shrewsbury.
The event is hosted by Shrewsbury based Rhino Velo Race Team run by Chris Pook of Estate Agents Cooper Green Pooks and Ben Lawrence of Beaumont Lawrence Chartered Insurance Brokers.
Part of the West Midlands Road League, the race will start from Leighton Village Hall, near Eaton Constantine at 9.30am and finish at 12.15pm.
Mr Pook said the cycling team wanted to dedicate a race to Mike, as he remains inspirational to so many of the racers in the local area.
He said: “Mike is very well known in West Midlands cycling circles and even nationally. He owned Stan’s Cycles at the foot of Wyle Cop for many years and after selling the business to Trek, he and Wendy now run a B&B called ‘Rhino Velo’ in the midi-Pyrenees that is aimed at cycling enthusiasts.
“The ‘Mike Jones Trophy’ race will consist of seven laps of an approximately nine mile undulating circuit with a steady climb at the end of each lap. It will be a good challenge for riders.”
Mike started cycling at the age of 14 and raced up to an elite level in the UK and abroad.
He won the Midland Division Road Championship a record seven times as well as the 2014 National Vets Road Championships. He finished 10th in the World Masters Amateur Road Race Championships in Denmark in 2015 and plans to compete again in Albi, France in August 2017.
Mr Pook said: “The Rhino Velo name even comes from Mike.
“He got a reputation for his aggressive style of riding and fast finish which earned him the nickname ‘Rhino.’
“He is an inspiration to everybody in the team and has a passion for encouraging other people to take up cycling and push themselves to be the best they can.”
Rhino Velo Race Team will have a number of its riders racing in the event, including brothers Robert and Tom Seeley, Stuart Glover, Devon Round, Ollie Hayward and Chris Pook.
Other team members will be taking part in other races around the UK.
Matthew Garthwaite, Kirk Vickers and Matt Davies will be doing the National 3-up Team Trial Trial Championship in Yorkshire whilst Olly Kyte, Graham South, Barrie Pugh and Tom Pook will be taking on the Etape de la Defonce, a two day race in South Wales.
To sign up for the Mike Jones Trophy Road Race, see the British Cycling Website at https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/160836/Mike-Jones-Trophy.
