Cycling Weekly Awards: Chris Jones is crowned Local Hero

If you’ve ever wondered what the cast of Avengers Endgame facing off against that of the  Hammer Horror films on cyclco-cross bikes would look like then you should have been at the North Cheshire Clarion Fancy Dress race in late October. There kids from all over the region, not just those in the club, competed for a host of prizes in what must have bee na bizarre sight to any casual passers by.

Chris Jones, the man behind the event, smiles as he recalls it. “There were a lot of super heroes,” he says when we ask him what his favourite costume was. That race was, Jones tells us, emblematic of the club’s underlying philosophy of promoting, fun, friendship and fitness all at the same time. 

“Fun, friendship, fitness, those are the core values. It has got to be enjoyable. It’s not about championship jerseys or achievements. Everyone will achieve something at soe level its about recognising it and rewarding it,” says Jones the passion evident in his voice.

The fancy-dress race was just one in many events Jones has run as part of his role as club organiser for the Clarion’s youth section. It’s a job he’s done so well that we chose him as the recipient of our local hero award for 2021 - no cape required.

The club has grown substantially since Jones got involved and eventually took over its running a handful of years ago. 

Within the first 12 months of volunteering he’d done the first tier of BC coaching training, funded by the club. “I was ‘actively encouraged’ to do it,” he says. “I didn't have any idea that it would lead to such a full on role as I’m under-taking now at the time,” he recalls. “But very quickly, I ended up taking the lead role in running the sessions.”

The 2021 season has brought its challenges, but Jones has taken them in his stride. You can read more about his role with the club in this week's Cycling Weekly magazine, out Thursday, December 9.

Passing the torch

The Clarion cycling club has been running since 1895 and has always had a strong community ethos. 

There are Clarion clubs all over the country and Chris Jones clearly sees his own work with his local club through that community lens. “The people that came before me, gave me the foundation upon which to build from,” he says characterising himself as another brick in that wall. 

“When the existing coaching team stepped away? I took over, so I had to build another team, another coaching team around me. A lot of the children who had grown up in the club moved away they they kind of outgrew what we were doing. And it was almost like a changing of the guard.”

Podium placers

Nikki Metcalf

While Metcalf is still racing herself she is commissairring most other weekends and has found time to build Team Boompods into one of the UK’s best domestic teams. She is a tireless promoter of the sport in the North East and impressed the judges with her deep reserves of passion and energy.

Graham Bristow

It’s safe to say derny racing might not be alive in the UK without Graham Bristow. Along with promoting races himself such as the Good Firday Meeting, he’s taken riders to national titles and foreign meetings on his derny as well as teaching others the art of riding one. He has been serving the cycling world for 30 years and long may he continue.

About the Cycling Weekly awards

The Cycling Weekly Awards recognise the best from the international and UK domestic racing scenes, as well as highlighting readers who have provided inspiration worthy of celebration. Each year our club of the year and local hero awards uncover the immense work being done at grass roots level up and down the country. 

A new winner will be announced daily, from Monday December, 6. Keep track of the announcements here. 

For a full account of Bäckstedt's 2021 season, and her interview reaction to winning the Rising Star Award, pick up a copy of Cycling Weekly magazine, in stores from Thursday, December 9. Subscribe online and get the magazine delivered to your door every week.