Hi, Joe Here!

Last month I was honoured to be invited to an event in Harrogate by the Dave Rayner Fund. Dave was an extremely talented young cyclist from Yorkshire whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 27 in 1994. He was a professional cyclist and one of Britain’s top cyclists at that time. Not only that, he was a great guy and everyone’s friend. Despite his success and talent, he was not in the slightest bit cocky and was a real model of how a sportsman should be.

After his death, his friends and family set up the Dave Rayner Trust to raise money to send promising young cyclists abroad, to kick start their careers. This fund was set up way before the National Lottery invested money in cycling, which helped us win our Olympic medals. It really is a great cause in honour of a great man.

The annual event always attracts high profile guests of honour from the cycling world such as Eddie Murks, Miguel Indurain, Brian Robinson and even Sir Jimmy Saville, who attends every year! This years guest speak was Raymond Poulidor, the distinguished French cyclist who became the darling of the Tour de France as the ‘eternal second’, after finishing in second place a remarkable three times. With all of the former pro’s attending, many of whom I used to race with, it really was a treat for cycling fans and the event is another great indication of the rise of cycling as an important sport for Britain.

For more information on the Dave Rayner Fund please log on to: http://www.daveraynerfund.co.uk. Schemes like this need our support, to improve the profile of British sport as well as encouraging our kids to get out and be active.

How quickly has this year gone?! I think I say this every year but it seems like only a few weeks ago we were wishing each other a happy new year and now it’s almost Christmas! With our new M. Steel Cycles shop opening in South Gosforth, things have been so hectic that the time has just flown by. It’s all been worth it and if you’ve seen the new store, you’ll see why!  On that note, I would personally like to thank the legend that is Alan Shearer as well as the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress Councillors David and Margaret Wood for officially kicking off the proceedings.  Thanks guys, we all really appreciated it and everyone who attended thought the night went great.  (See some pictures here on our blog)

As it’s almost the New Year, we’ll be starting to think about New Years Resolutions. Getting healthier and keeping fit is many peoples goal but with cycling it is extremely achievable. Cutting out a few journeys by car is beneficial to you and the environment and so easy to do.  At M. Steel Cycles we also work in collaboration with Cycle Scheme (http://www.msteelcycles.co.uk/cycle-scheme/info_17.html) which gets people tax free bikes to ride to work which is perfect if you’re hoping to get in shape this New Year and can save you a pretty penny or two!

After the year I’ve had sorting out the new shop, I’m really looking forward to a relaxing Christmas with the family and having a beer or two! Whatever you have planned, I hope you have an enjoyable, stress-free Christmas and New Year!

Until next time, happy riding!