Graham Jones (cyclist)
Jones riding for Peugeot in 1982
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
28 October 1957 Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Climber |
| Amateur team(s) | |
| 1972-7 | Abbotsford Park RC |
| 1978 | ACBB |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 1979–1982 | Peugeot |
| 1983 | Wolber |
| 1984 | System-U |
| 1985 | Ever Ready |
| 1986–1987 | ANC-Halfords |
| 1988 | Emmelle-MBK |
| Major wins | |
| Palme d'Or Merlin Plage | |
Graham Jones (born 28 October 1957) is a former professional English road racing cyclist from Manchester, England. He rode in the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. He is often described as one of the classiest riders that Britain has ever produced, but his career was hindered by being over raced in his early days, and by injury in his later days. He is one of the few English-speaking riders to have stood on the podium of the Flanders Classics Het Volk.
Graham was born in Cheadle, just south of Manchester. As a youth he was on the books of Manchester United F.C. as a part of their youth program. Graham gave up football in favour of cycling. He took his first step towards becoming a professional cyclist in 1972, age 14 he joined the Abbotsford Park Road cycling club which then had a clubroom in Fallowfield, Manchester. During his first year of racing he had no success and was even lapped frequently during the circuit races. It was not until 1974 at 16 years of age he won his first race in Macclesfield. He was coached by Malcolm Firth, who, along with Harold "H" Nelson, developed a training routine based on heart rates and power training. In 1975, as a Junior, he gained three fourth places in national championships (pursuit, road race and 25-mile time-trial) – indeed, the 40 km/25-mile time trial was his first race over the distance for two years and covered the distance in a little over 57 minutes. As well as winning the divisional junior road title, he 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 the Netherlands 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 at Anvaing. His form saw him selected for the Peace Race, his first international stage race. The season ended with him being selected to ride in the Etoile Des Espiors (Stars of the future) race in France. He raced against both amateurs and professional riders including Bernard Hinault, yet proved he could hold his own against anyone, finishing third in a stage. In 1978 he moved to France to ride for the notable amateur team ACBB (Athletic Club de Boulogne Billencourt), Europe's most successful sports club, following in the footsteps of his friend and training partner Paul Sherwen. He rode in about 65 races, winning 15 of them including the Grand Prix de Nations, Paris-Évreux and the GP de France. International selection included the five-day Sealink International: he won the prologue in his native Manchester. His success in France saw him win the season long Merlin Plage Palme d'Or as the top amateur in France, and this led to him being offered a professional contract with Peugeot.
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