RAYMOND POULIDOR GUEST OF HONOUR AT RAYNER FUND DINNER

France's most revered professional cyclist, Raymond Poulidor the 1964 Tour of Spain winner, but famous as the ?Eternal Second? to five times Tour de France victor Jacques Anquetil, will be the guest of honour at the 14th annual Dave Rayner Memorial Fund dinner in Harrogate on November 8.

Poulidor accepted the invitation from Britain?s Brian Robinson, the first Brit to win a stage of the Tour in 1958. The Rayner dinner is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Robinson?s famous victory and is inviting all British Tour stage winners to attend in his honour.

Poulidor rode the Tour de France 14 times, finishing 12 of them, between 1962 and 1976: 1962/3rd/1 stage; 1963/8th; 1964/2nd/1 stage; 1965/2nd/2 stages; 1966/3rd/1 stage; 1967/9th/1 stage; 1968/0; 1969/3rd; 1970/7th; 1972/3rd; 1973/0; 1974/2nd/1 stage; 1975/19th; 1976/3rd.

Poulidor was French road champion in 1961, when he also won the spring classic, Milan - San Remo. He was prolific single-day classics rider, also winning the Fleche Wallonne. He twice won Paris-Nice and twice won the Criterium Dauphine six-day stage race.

? The Dave Rayner Fund was formed in honour of the talented English pro who died in 1994 and raises money to support young talented riders racing abroad.

For details of tickets for the dinner, check the website: www.daveraynerfund.com