In Memory

Stage 1 — Colin Lewis Velopark Criterium

Tour de France cyclist, two-time British National Professional Champion, and Olympian — Colin Lewis was the president of Mid Devon CC and one of the greatest cyclists this region has ever seen. Born in Abertysswg, South Wales, he finished seventh in the 1960 Milk Race at just 19. He came 25th at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the best-placed British rider. Turning professional with Mackeson-Condor for £4 a week, he rode the 1967 Tour de France alongside Tommy Simpson — sharing a room with him the night before Simpson's fatal collapse on Mont Ventoux. In 1967 and 1968 he became the only rider to win the British National Road Championship in successive years. He retired in 1975 and opened a cycle shop in Paignton, which became a Mecca for riders across Devon. He won the Totnes Vire in 1977 and remained a devoted club member and mentor to younger riders for the rest of his life. He was the last Welshman to ride the Tour de France until Geraint Thomas in 2007. 250 victories in total, 38 as a professional. He died after a short illness with cancer, aged 79.

Stage 2 — Ken Robertson Oddicombe Hill Climb

South Devon's "Mr Cycling" died as he would have wished — on his bike, cycling along Torquay seafront at 85, on his way to lead one of the three weekly social rides he still ran. A former quality controller at Paignton's Standard Telephones & Cables factory, Ken devoted nearly 70 years to the sport. He grew Mid Devon CC from a few dozen racers to one of the country's leading clubs with over 500 members, and in 2007 — in weather so bad the Ten Tors Expedition was cancelled — organised the first Dartmoor Classic sportive, now the biggest not-for-profit cycle marathon in the UK, capped at 4,000 riders. When a young Marcin Bialoblocki arrived from Poland in 2006 with only a battered bike to his name, Ken quietly found him a better machine at short notice. Bialoblocki went on to a WorldTour career and rewrote the UK time-trialling record books — and never forgot Ken's welcome. He celebrated his 84th birthday by riding 84 miles for charity. His wife Ann, who died two years before him, always hoped that when Ken's time came, it would be on his bike. Her wish came true.

Stage 3 — Roy Hopkins Dartmoor View Road Race

A stalwart of the club through the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Roy Hopkins competed nationally for Mid Devon and earned the nickname "Iron Man" in the cycling press — because he loved the harder the better. His greatest result was winning Stage 8 of the 1962 Tour of Britain from Northampton to Skegness: 102 miles in 3 hours 30 minutes, an average speed of over 29mph that still stands as the stage record today. After retiring from racing Roy stayed connected to the sport as a British Cycling official and was a regular presence at events across the region. The photo shows Roy winning a stage of the Launa Windows Classic (now Totnes Vire) on Paignton seafront, in Mid Devon club colours.