British cycling pioneer Brian Robinson has been honoured for his lifetime achievement at the inaugural Cycling Weekly Awards in association with Garmin.
Robinson has dedicated himself to cycling both on and off the bike and has achieved huge feats in the sport.
Now 88, Robinson was a beacon of success for British cyclists and continues to give back to the sport.
In 1955 Robinson became the first British rider to ever finish Tour de France, but that wasn’t enough for the amiable Yorkshireman.
The following years were filled with ground-breaking success, including a top-10 finish in the Vuelta a España in 1956, and a podium place in Milan-San Remo.
British cyclist Brian Robinson during the ninth stage of the 1955 Tour de France (Photo by Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Then in 1958 Robinson won a stage of the biggest bike race on earth, followed by a second stage of the Tour the following year.
He went on to win the overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné in 1961.
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Robinson is now the president of the Dave Rayner Fund for young Brits racing abroad, is a patron of the charity StreetBikes and was a major figure involved in bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire in 2014.
Robinson’s exploits on the bike paved the way for the likes of Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and a host of other Brits who have achieved great things in cycling.
His contribution to the sport was acknowledged on Wednesday night at the Cycling Weekly Awards in association with Garmin.
The ceremony was held at the prestigious 8 Northumberland Avenue in central London and saw figures from across the world of cycling praised for their exploits.
The awards honour the people at the heart of the sport, from pro riders, clubs, volunteers and charity fundraisers.
Our riders and club of the year were chosen by the Cycling Weekly Awards judging panel, made up of former UCI president Brian Cookson, Britain’s most successful Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, British Cycling independent chair Frank Slevin, and the editor of Cycling Weekly, Simon Richardson.
Winners of the local hero and best charitable initiative awards were decided by public vote.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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