We are proud to reveal the winners of the 2019 Cycling Weekly Awards in association with Garmin.
The awards honour the people at the heart of the sport, from pro riders, clubs, volunteers and charity fundraisers.
Among the winners we are delighted to recognise our outstanding riders like Simon Yates and Alice Barnes, our male and female riders of the year.
Other stars include our local hero Dot Tilbury for her work in the cycling world and fundraiser Kenny Smith, who raised hundreds of thousands for the Multiple Sclerosis Trust in memory of his sister.
The lifetime achievement award went to icon Sean Kelly, for his remarkable careers both on and off the bike.
Our riders and club of the year were chosen by the Cycling Weekly Awards judging panel, made up of former Olympian Colin Sturgess, retired pro Dani Rowe, ex-president of the UCI Brian Cookson, and Cycling Weekly news editor Vern Pitt.
Winners of the local hero and best charitable initiative awards were decided by public vote.
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The event was held at the prestigious 8 Northumberland Avenue in London, with 11 winners being crowned.
Here are all of the winners from the Cycling Weekly Awards 2019 in association with Garmin:
Best Charitable Initiative in association with Sport Tours International – Kenny Smith
Kenny Smith has raised over £250,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Trust in memory of his sister.
Kenny has cycled solo and self-supported around the UK, finishing on July 31 2019, which would have been his sister’s 50th birthday.
He has climb Kilimanjaro, conquered the Sahara desert, and been to Everest base camp.
Rising Star Award in association with Zwift – Elynor Bäckstedt
Taking victory early in 2019 with the U19 Ghent-Wevelgem, Elynor Bäckstedt went on to dominate the Junior Track Championships and took bronze in the junior time trial at the Yorkshire Worlds.
The 17-year-old is now on to bigger and brighter things as she begins a three-year contract with Trek-Segafredo next season.
Club of the Year in association with Le Col – Poole Wheelers
A dramatic increase to the female contingent in Poole Wheelers is just one of the reasons for their nomination for the Club of the Year award, with 100 women riders now signed up, a third of the club.
Their road race team has raced as far afield as Malta, while they have also put effort into their social media presence to increase their membership.
Local Hero in association with Freewheel.co.uk – Dot Tilbury
For two and a half decades, Dot has been instrumental to the success of Manx riders.
Organising hundreds of trips to races, she helped give early starts to Mark Cavendish, Pete Kennaugh and Mark Christian.
International Rider of the Year in association with Sigma Sports – Julian Alaphilippe
An utterly phenomenal year for Julian Alaphilippe saw him win Strade Bianche, his first Monument Milan-San Remo, and Flèche Wallone.
He went on to dominate in the Tour de France, holding the yellow jersey for two weeks and coming within days of victory, adding a few stages to his palmarès along the way.
British Female Rider of the Year in association with Lazer – Alice Barnes
Alice Barnes became double national champion after taking both the road race and time trial champion in Norfolk in June, then placing 16th in the women’s elite TT at the Yorkshire 2019 World Championships as the highest placed Brit.
British Male Rider of the Year in association with Hope – Simon Yates
Simon Yates may have lined up at the Tour de France to help his twin brother Adam’s general classification ambitions, but he ended up in starring role himself as he took two stage wins.
Not a bad way to follow up on his overall victory at the Vuelta a España last season.
Domestic Rider of the Year in association with PedalSure – John Archibald
What a year for the Scottish track specialist. John Archibald took the individual and team pursuits at the National Track Championships, podiumed in the road race and time trial at the British Road Championships, helped GB to bronze in the mixed relay TT at the road Worlds and the finished 14th in the ITT after a last minute call-up.
Team of the Year in association with Aviation Gin – Deceuninck – Quick-Step
Another remarkable year of victories for the Belgian super team, with 68 top step visits this season.
With wins in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, E3 BinckBank Classic, Paris-Roubaix, and multiple stage victories in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, Deceuninck – Quick-Step are an unmatchable winning outfit.
Outstanding Achievement in association with Specialized – Chloe Dygert
Chloe Dygert entered the World Championship time trial as somewhat of an unknown quantity against the best in the world, but when she reached the finish line it was clear she had done something unforgettable.
Dygert won the TT with the biggest ever winning margin at the Worlds, beating reigning champion Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen.
Lifetime achievement in association with BikeZaar
Sean Kelly has been an icon both on and off the bike since the start of his pro racing career in the 1970s.
With multiple Monuments to his name, a phenomenal record in stage races and a Vuelta a España victory to his name, Kelly has one of the greatest palmarès in the sport.
After retirement, the Irishman became a household name in the cycling world thanks to his ongoing work with Eurosport.
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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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