Dave Rayner Fund celebrates 20 years

The Dave Rayner Fund celebrated its 20th anniversary last Saturday with a gala dinner attended by cycling luminaries including 2014 UCI Women’s World Cup Champion, Lizzie Armitstead, David Millar, and Russ and Dean Downing.

The fund supports young riders taking their first steps toward a professional career. One of the riders it helped this year was road.cc bike and gear tester Liam Glen, who was in Leeds for the dinner.

Liam says: "The dinner was a fitting way to mark the fund's 20th Anniversary and celebrate the impact it's had on so many young cyclists.

"It's amazing to think that some of the first recipients of support such as David Millar are now retiring after many years at the top level, just as the next crop of riders are making the step up into the pro ranks.

"From the looks of things, everyone was enjoying themselves and plenty of money was raised to support riders going into 2015

Thanks to support from the fund, Liam was able to take a year out from studying to race in Europe this year, something he says he could not have done otherwise.

He says: "On a personal level, the fund was invaluable to me as a rider on the Belgium amateur scene.

"Putting my studies on hold to pursue this dream was a big decision, and one that wouldn't have even been on the table if it weren't for the fund's support.

"By providing a bit of financial security, it means that riders can focus more on training and racing without having to worry about how they're going to pay for next week's groceries.

"The feeling of being part of something bigger, and the success of previously funded riders, was a great motivator when things weren't going well.

The fund is named for Yorkshire cyclist Dave Rayner, whose early career included a spell racing in Italy for the G.S.Porcari-Fanini-Berti Team, starting when he was just 17. He went on to win the won the 1990 Scottish Provident Criterium Series and in 1991 moved to the Netherlands, aged 24, to ride for Buckler under former world champion Jan Raas

Rayner died in 1994 after an altercation with a nightclub bouncer. The cycling community wanted to support his memory by giving other young riders the chance to follow in his path and since then over £600,000 in grants have been given to young riders to enable them to race abroad. They have included David Millar, one of the very first recipients, through to more recent champions like Adam Yates.