User:Tonylyons/Graham Jones (cyclist)

New article name is Graham Jones (Cyclist)

Graham Jones was a talented sportsman who enjoyed a good professional career as a racing cyclist on mainland Europe and in the UK. 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 was born in Cheadle, Stockport. By his early teens he was on the books of Manchester United FC as a part of their youth programme. Graham gave up the football in favour of cycling. He soon established himself as a prominent amateur. In 1975, as a Junior he was one of the top Under-18's in the UK, notably gaining fourth place in three national championships (pursuit, 25 mile Time Trial and Road Race). Indeed, the 40km/25 mile time trial was his first time trial for two years and he covered the distance in a little over 57 minutes. As well as winning the divisional junior road race title, he also 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.

In 1977, he won the UK's first classic of the season, the GP of Essex. He then moved to Belgium, along with the Liverpool rider, Nigel Hartle. He won the Omloop Van Londerzeel. His form saw him selected to ride for the Great Britain team in the Peace Race: he finished his first major stage race strongly.

In 1978 he moved to France to ride for the top French amateur club ACBB: he was second in his first race of the season, Seislan Draguignan. He was selected for the five day UK international event the Sealink International, and won the prologue in his native Manchester. His success in France meant that he won the Palme d'Or for being the top amateur in France over that year: he notably won the Grand Prix de Nations time trial, the GP de France and the Paris-Evreux.

In 1979 he turned professional for the Peugeot team. His talent showed as he was second in his first race, the GP de St Raphael behind Roger Rogiers. On Stage 4 of the Paris Nice, four major riders of the day, Joop Zoetemelk, Sven-Ake Nilsson, Gerrie Knetemann and Fausto Bertoglio escaped along with Graham Jones... they tore the race apart.

His ability against the watch, in the mountains and as a rouleur won him the respect of the rest of the peleton. A mixture of his loyalty to the team, injusry and bad luck did restrict his palmares. Notably, he was leading the Criterium International and was knocked off by a press motor cycle. He was used by his Peugeot team to assist French riders who were behind him overall on general classification like on the last stage of the Tour de France in 1980: indeed, it is suggested that he sacrificed his chances to help his French team mates in the Peugeot team, but few of them were willing to reciprocate. Before the start of the 1982 season he broke his femur on a training ride.

His best performance in the Tour was 20th: he was lying 5th with a week to go, but a tummy upset caused him to slip down the classification. Similarly, in 1980 he was in the top 20, and on the day that Jacques Anquetil had predicted that he would win the stage, a tummy upset caused Graham to slip down the classification and he ended up finishing 45th. His career ended with the British ANC team. The team were a surprise inclusion in the Tour of 1987. The ANC team itself was hardly a shining example of professionalism: the team did face a shortage of pay, and also some of the riders didn't know how to work as a team in a major race. The grandee of the team, Graham Jones, did try to bring a professional approach to both the management and the riders. Unfortunately, Jones was too exhausted to finish.

He did have a few rides the following season for Emmelle, but his full time career as a pro effectively ended with ANC.

Since his retirement from the peleton Graham has worked for a bike company (Emmelle) and since has worked as a commentator for both the BBC and Eurosport. He's a regular on the Tour de France, and he gets chance to meet up with the former riders of the peleton, notably Jean Rene Bernardeau, his former team leader and good friend.

Place of Birth: Manchester, UK

Date of Birth: 28 October 1957

Amateur Clubs: Abbotsford Park RC; 1978, ACBB

Professional Teams: 1979-82, Peugeot; 1983, Wolber; 1984, System-U; 1985, Ever Ready; 1986-7, ANC-Halfords

Main placings:

1976 (amateur): 5th, Criterium des Vainqueurs

1977 (amateur): 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 (amateur): 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 Race; 35th Fleche Wallonne

1980: 11th, Giro di Lombardia;26th, Paris-Tours; 38th, Paris-Bruxelles; 49th Tour de France;

1981: 2nd Tour du Mediterranean; 2nd, Classique Saint-Sebastien; 2nd, National Road Race Championship;3rd, Subida a Arrate (Spanish hill climb); 5th Tour du Haut Var; 20th Tour de France; 25th Fleche Wallonne; 28th Ghent-Wevelgem; 36th Milan-SanRemo; 53rd, Amstel Gold Race

1982: 1st, Tour of Delyn, 1st, Woolmark GP; 2nd Het Volk, 7th, Tour du Mediterranean; 51st Ghent-Wevelgem; 53rd World Road Race Championship

1983: 26th Giro d'Italia; 69th Tour de France

1984: DNF Tour de France