Rapha Foundation announces cycling groups awarded $750,000 of funding

The Rapha Foundation has announced the cycling groups awarded $750,000 in funding as part of the new initiative.

British clothing kit brand Rapha launched the foundation last year with the aim of inspiring and supporting the next generation of bike racers.

Rapha has now announced that the second round of funding will be awarded to British projects Herne Hill Velodrome, the Rayner Foundation, the Helen100 cyclocross project run by Helen Wyman, and the Cyclists’ Alliance, a union set up to protect the interest of women cyclists.

Rapha founder and CEO Simon Mottram said: “I am extremely proud to announce the next group of organisations who will get funding from the Rapha Foundation, this time close to home.

“When we first discussed the Rapha Foundation helping young and disadvantaged riders getting into racing, it was organisations like The Rayner Foundation and the amazing work of Helen Wyman that we had in mind.

“Herne Hill is an iconic facility for those of us who live in London and we are excited to help them reach more of their local community.”

Rapha handed these new beneficiaries a total of $750,000 (around £570,000) over the winter, as they join the five US-based initiatives that received the first round of funding in spring last year.

The Rapha Foundation will hand out two rounds of funding each year, with a total pot of $1.5million (£1.1million) available to registered charities in the UK, EU, US and Asia-Pacific.

Herne Hill Velodrome in South London has said the money will be spent on supporting women’s and children’s cycling, and it will also go towards hiring a dedicated youth development officer.

Chair of the velodrome, Tim McInnes, said:” Herne Hill Velodrome is tremendously grateful to the Rapha Foundation for this investment.

“It makes a massive difference to what we do at Herne Hill, allowing us to reach out into our local community and improve our facilities, to show people that cycling really is an accessible fun and rewarding sport, whatever their reason for getting onto a bike.”

The Rayner Foundation will also receive funding to help its work supporting young professional riders as they build their careers in Europe.

Helen Wyman’s Helen100 project launched in 2018 with the aim of racing £2,500 to pay for the entries of 100 under-23 women into the British National Cyclocross Championships.

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Since achieving that goal, the programme has now developed into the first ever junior women’s race, held as part of the DVV Trophy Series in Loenhout, Belgium last year.

The Cyclists’ Alliance is run by current and former pros and offers support to female cyclists during and after their careers and is funded by donations and subscriptions