Graham Jones (cyclist)
Encyclopedia
Graham Jones is a former professional English
road racing cyclist from Manchester
, England
. He rode in the Tour de France
and Giro d'Italia
. He is often described as one of the classiest riders that the UK has produced, but his career was hindered by being over raced in his early days, and by injury in his later days. He is one of the few English
-speaking riders to have stood on the podium of the Flanders Classics
Het Volk.
, just south of Manchester
. As a youth he was on the books of Manchester United F.C.
as a part of their youth program
. Graham gave up football in favour of cycling. He took his first step towards becoming a professional
cyclist in 1972, age 14 he joined the Abbotsford Park Road cycling club which then had a clubroom in Fallowfield
, Manchester. During his first year of racing he had no success and was even lapped frequently during the circuit races. It was not until 1974 at 16 years of age he won his first race in Macclesfield
. He was coached by Malcolm Firth, who, along with Harold "H" Nelson, developed a training routine based on heart rates and power training. In 1975, as a Junior, he gained three fourth places in national championships (pursuit, road race and 25 mile time-trial) - indeed, the 40 km/25 mile time trial was his first race over the distance for two years and covered the distance in a little over 57 minutes. As well as winning the divisional junior road title, he won the senior pursuit title against the established senior rider, Malcolm Fraser. In his last year as a junior he had 12 wins and also finished 22nd in the World Junior Road Race Championship. In 1976 he went to Holland for five months: his best place was 2nd and he had a host of top six places.
, along with the Liverpool
rider Nigel Hartle. He won at Anvaing. His form saw him selected for the Peace Race, his first international stage race. The season ended with him being selected to ride in the Etoile Des Espiors (Stars of the future) race in France. He raced against both amateurs and professional riders including Bernard Hinault
, yet proved he could hold his own against anyone, finishing third in a stage. In 1978 he moved to France
to ride for the notable amateur team ACBB (Athletic Club de Boulogne Billencourt), Europe's most successful sports club
, following in the footsteps of his friend and training partner Paul Sherwen
. He rode in about 65 races, winning 15 of them including the Grand Prix de Nations, Paris-Évreux and the GP de France. International selection included the five-day Sealink International: he won the prologue
in his native Manchester. His success in France saw him win the season long Merlin Plage Palme d'Or as the top amateur
in France, and this led to him being offered a professional contract with Peugeot
.
team of 1979 which included Bernard Thevenet
and Hennie Kuiper
. In his first Professional race the Grand Prix St Raphael, he finished in second place behind Roger Rogiers. A few weeks later, on stage 4 of the Paris Nice he was a part of an elite breakaway which tore the race apart. His undoubted class, however, wasn't allowed to flourish as it might, as he was over-raced by his team. Over the coming seasons, his ability against the watch, in the mountains and as a rouleur won him the respect of the peloton.
Throughout his professional career Graham competed in the majority of prestigious races from the Tour de France
to Paris - Roubaix. However a combination of his loyalty to the team and bad luck restricted his palmares, as he was often used as a domestique to assist French
riders who were behind him overall on general classification. His biggest disappointment was during the 1981 Critérium International
, he had dropped Bernard Hinault
but on the penultimate descent was knocked off by a press motor cycle. His 1982 season started badly: a training crash caused by ice, whilst out in Cheshire
, led to a broken femur and this impacted massively on the season ahead. However in 1982 he still managed arguably his greatest performance finishing second in the Flanders Classics
Het Volk. He caught and dropped the breakaway group that included Sean Kelly
and Roger De Vlaeminck
. However he did not manage to catch the eventual winner Alfons De Wolf, finishing 26 seconds behind. In 1985 he returned home to Britain, riding with John Herety
in the British based professional Ever Ready /Marlboro team. One year later, Graham moved to the British ANC-Halfords
team, riding alongside Joey McLoughlin
, Paul Watson
and Malcolm Elliott
. ANC-Halfords
were a surprise inclusion in the 1987 Tour de France
. The team suffered from a shortage of funding, and riders not knowing how to work as a team in a major Tour: as the grandee of the team, Graham tried to bring a professional approach to both the management and the riders Unfortunately, Graham was too exhausted to finish his final Tour. He then had a few rides the following season for Emmelle-MBK riding alongside Mark Bell
. However his full time career as a professional rider effectively ended with ANC-Halfords
.
, Graham has worked for a bike company (Emmelle) and still works as a commentator
for both the BBC
and Eurosport
. He's a regular on the Tour de France
, and gets to meet up with the former riders of the peloton
, notably Jean Rene Bernardeau, his former team mate and good friend. Graham is also the organiser of the Tour of Britain
cycle race.
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986:
1987
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
road racing cyclist from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He rode in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
and Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
. He is often described as one of the classiest riders that the UK has produced, but his career was hindered by being over raced in his early days, and by injury in his later days. He is one of the few English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking riders to have stood on the podium of the Flanders Classics
Flanders Classics
Flanders Classics is an umbrella organization for classic cycle races held in Flanders. It was founded in 2010 and it contains six races, of which the Ronde van Vlaanderen is the most important.-Mission:...
Het Volk.
Origins
Graham was born in CheadleCheadle, Greater Manchester
Cheadle is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England. It borders the districts of Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Heald Green and Cheadle Heath in Stockport, and the East Didsbury area of Manchester. As of 2001 it had a population of 14,261.-Early history:There has...
, just south of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. As a youth he was on the books of Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
as a part of their youth program
Youth program
Youth programs are particular activities designed to involve people between the ages of 10 and 25. Activities included are generally oriented towards youth development through recreation, social life, prevention, intervention, or education...
. Graham gave up football in favour of cycling. He took his first step towards becoming a professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
cyclist in 1972, age 14 he joined the Abbotsford Park Road cycling club which then had a clubroom in Fallowfield
Fallowfield
Ladybarn is the part of Fallowfield to the south-east. Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre is used by the University of Manchester: it was built by Edward Walters for Sir Joseph Whitworth, as were the Firs Botanical Grounds.-Religion:...
, Manchester. During his first year of racing he had no success and was even lapped frequently during the circuit races. It was not until 1974 at 16 years of age he won his first race in Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
. He was coached by Malcolm Firth, who, along with Harold "H" Nelson, developed a training routine based on heart rates and power training. In 1975, as a Junior, he gained three fourth places in national championships (pursuit, road race and 25 mile time-trial) - indeed, the 40 km/25 mile time trial was his first race over the distance for two years and covered the distance in a little over 57 minutes. As well as winning the divisional junior road title, he won the senior pursuit title against the established senior rider, Malcolm Fraser. In his last year as a junior he had 12 wins and also finished 22nd in the World Junior Road Race Championship. In 1976 he went to Holland for five months: his best place was 2nd and he had a host of top six places.
Amateur career
In 1977 he won the UK's first classic of the season - the GP of Essex. He then moved to BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, along with the Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
rider Nigel Hartle. He won at Anvaing. His form saw him selected for the Peace Race, his first international stage race. The season ended with him being selected to ride in the Etoile Des Espiors (Stars of the future) race in France. He raced against both amateurs and professional riders including Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault is a former French cyclist known for five victories in the Tour de France. He is one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each more than once. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985...
, yet proved he could hold his own against anyone, finishing third in a stage. In 1978 he moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to ride for the notable amateur team ACBB (Athletic Club de Boulogne Billencourt), Europe's most successful sports club
Sports club
A sports club or sport club, sometimes athletics club or sports association is a club for the purpose of playing one or more sports...
, following in the footsteps of his friend and training partner Paul Sherwen
Paul Sherwen
Paul Sherwen is an English former professional racing cyclist. He is now a broadcaster on cycling, notably the Tour de France. He raced in seven editions of the Tour, finishing five, and gained a reputation for his ability to suffer over long mountain stages.-Cycling career:Born in Widnes,...
. He rode in about 65 races, winning 15 of them including the Grand Prix de Nations, Paris-Évreux and the GP de France. International selection included the five-day Sealink International: he won the prologue
Prologue
A prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
in his native Manchester. His success in France saw him win the season long Merlin Plage Palme d'Or as the top amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
in France, and this led to him being offered a professional contract with Peugeot
Peugeot (cycling team)
Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:...
.
Professional career
Graham was one of four new signings among the twenty two riders in the PeugeotPeugeot (cycling team)
Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:...
team of 1979 which included Bernard Thevenet
Bernard Thévenet
Bernard Thévenet, born 10 January 1948, in Saint-Julien-de-Civry, Saône-et-Loire, is a retired French bicycle racer. He is a two-time winner of the Tour de France and known for ending the reign of five-time Tour champion Eddy Merckx...
and Hennie Kuiper
Hennie Kuiper
Hennie Kuiper is a Dutch former professional road racing cyclist. His career includes a gold medal in the Olympic road race at Munich in 1972, becoming world professional road race champion in 1975, as well as winning four of the five “Monument” classics...
. In his first Professional race the Grand Prix St Raphael, he finished in second place behind Roger Rogiers. A few weeks later, on stage 4 of the Paris Nice he was a part of an elite breakaway which tore the race apart. His undoubted class, however, wasn't allowed to flourish as it might, as he was over-raced by his team. Over the coming seasons, his ability against the watch, in the mountains and as a rouleur won him the respect of the peloton.
Throughout his professional career Graham competed in the majority of prestigious races from the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
to Paris - Roubaix. However a combination of his loyalty to the team and bad luck restricted his palmares, as he was often used as a domestique to assist French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
riders who were behind him overall on general classification. His biggest disappointment was during the 1981 Critérium International
Critérium International
The Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....
, he had dropped Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault is a former French cyclist known for five victories in the Tour de France. He is one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each more than once. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985...
but on the penultimate descent was knocked off by a press motor cycle. His 1982 season started badly: a training crash caused by ice, whilst out in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, led to a broken femur and this impacted massively on the season ahead. However in 1982 he still managed arguably his greatest performance finishing second in the Flanders Classics
Flanders Classics
Flanders Classics is an umbrella organization for classic cycle races held in Flanders. It was founded in 2010 and it contains six races, of which the Ronde van Vlaanderen is the most important.-Mission:...
Het Volk. He caught and dropped the breakaway group that included Sean Kelly
Seán Kelly (cyclist)
John James 'Sean' Kelly is an Irish former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest classics riders of all time. From turning professional in 1977 until his retirement in 1994, he won nine monument classics, and 193...
and Roger De Vlaeminck
Roger De Vlaeminck
Roger De Vlaeminck is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist. He was described by Rik Van Looy as '"The most talented and the only real classics rider of his generation"...
. However he did not manage to catch the eventual winner Alfons De Wolf, finishing 26 seconds behind. In 1985 he returned home to Britain, riding with John Herety
John Herety
John P Herety is a former English racing cyclist. He rode for Great Britain in the Olympic Games and won the national road championship as an amateur and then a professional...
in the British based professional Ever Ready /Marlboro team. One year later, Graham moved to the British ANC-Halfords
ANC-Halfords Cycling Team
ANC-Halfords Cycling Team was a British-based professional team that was created in 1985 but folded in 1987 due to a lack of funds. The team used Peugeot cycles with Campagnolo components...
team, riding alongside Joey McLoughlin
Joey McLoughlin
Joey McLoughlin is an English former professional cyclist from Liverpool. He grew up on the Cantril Farm housing estate in Liverpool, the youngest of 10 children...
, Paul Watson
Paul Watson (cyclist)
Paul Watson is a former professional English road racing cyclist from Milton Keynes. He was national road race champion, raced in the Tour de France and made headlines finishing 6th in the Belgium classic La Flèche Wallonne.-Road:19841985...
and Malcolm Elliott
Malcolm Elliott
Malcolm Elliott is an English professional cyclist, whose professional career has lasted from 1984 to 1997 when he retired and from 2003 up to the present day when he made his comeback in British domestic racing....
. ANC-Halfords
ANC-Halfords Cycling Team
ANC-Halfords Cycling Team was a British-based professional team that was created in 1985 but folded in 1987 due to a lack of funds. The team used Peugeot cycles with Campagnolo components...
were a surprise inclusion in the 1987 Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. The team suffered from a shortage of funding, and riders not knowing how to work as a team in a major Tour: as the grandee of the team, Graham tried to bring a professional approach to both the management and the riders Unfortunately, Graham was too exhausted to finish his final Tour. He then had a few rides the following season for Emmelle-MBK riding alongside Mark Bell
Mark Bell (cyclist)
Mark Bell was an English professional cyclist from Birkenhead. He rode for Britain in the Olympic Games, won the national road championship as an amateur and then a professional and was the first foreigner to win the Étoile de Sud stage race in Belgium. He died at 49 after collapsing at his home...
. However his full time career as a professional rider effectively ended with ANC-Halfords
ANC-Halfords Cycling Team
ANC-Halfords Cycling Team was a British-based professional team that was created in 1985 but folded in 1987 due to a lack of funds. The team used Peugeot cycles with Campagnolo components...
.
Post-cycling career
Since his retirement from the pelotonPeloton
The peloton , field, bunch or pack is the large main group of riders in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close near other riders...
, Graham has worked for a bike company (Emmelle) and still works as a commentator
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
for both the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and Eurosport
Eurosport
Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
. He's a regular on the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, and gets to meet up with the former riders of the peloton
Peloton
The peloton , field, bunch or pack is the large main group of riders in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close near other riders...
, notably Jean Rene Bernardeau, his former team mate and good friend. Graham is also the organiser of the Tour of Britain
Tour of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain....
cycle race.
Palmarès
1976- 5th Criterium des Vainqueurs
1977
- 1st GP of Essex
- 1st Mike Tyzack Memorial
- 1st Circuit of Ashurst
- 1st Tielt Criterium
- 1st Anvaing criterium
- 6th Scottish Milk Race
- 38th World Road Race Championship
- 40th Peace Race (6th on stage 9)
1978
- 1st Prologue Time Trial, Sealink International
- 1st GP de Toulon
- 1st Paris-Evreux
- 1st Paris–Troyes
- 1st GP de St Maxime
- 1st Paris-Vierzon
- 1st GP de France
- 1st GP de Nations
- 1st Palme d'Or Merlin Plage
- 2nd Tour de Haut Var
- 2nd Paris - Ezy
1979
- 2nd GP St Raphael
- 7th GP Pino Cerami
- 18th Amstel Gold RaceAmstel Gold RaceThe Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle race held in the southern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Since 1989 it has been among the races included in season long rankings tables, as part of the UCI Road World Cup , the UCI ProTour , UCI World Ranking and from 2011 the UCI World Tour...
- 35th Flèche Wallonne
1980
- 11th Giro di Lombardia
- 26th Paris–Tours
- 38th Paris–Brussels
- 49th Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
1981
- 2nd Tour du Mediterranean
- 2nd Classique Saint-Sebastien
3rd British National Road Race ChampionshipsBritish National Road Race ChampionshipsThe British National Road Race Championships cover different categories of British road bicycle racing events, normally held annually.-History:...- 3rd Subida a Arrate (Spanish hill climb)
- 5th Tour du Haut Var
- 20th Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
- 25th Flèche Wallonne
- 28th Gent–Wevelgem
- 36th Milan – San Remo
- 53rd Amstel Gold RaceAmstel Gold RaceThe Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle race held in the southern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Since 1989 it has been among the races included in season long rankings tables, as part of the UCI Road World Cup , the UCI ProTour , UCI World Ranking and from 2011 the UCI World Tour...
1982
- 1st Tour of Delyn
- 1st Woolmark GP
- 2nd Het Volk
- 7th Tour du Mediterranean
- 51st Gent–Wevelgem
- 53rd World Road Race Championships
1983
- 26th Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'ItaliaThe Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
- 69th Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
1984
- DNF Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
1985
- 2nd Hull
- 2nd Milton Keynes
1986:
- 10th Overall, Milk Race
- 3rd Stage 2, Milk Race
- 2nd Stage 5, Milk Race
1987
- DNF Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...