The funeral of Sir Jimmy Savile OBE takes place tomorrow, November 9, St Anne’s cathedral in Leeds. Whilst probably best remembered for wearing junky jewellery, tracksuits and “fixing” kid’s wishes, what is less well known about Sir Jimmy, who dies at the age of 84 on October 29, is that he was a long-time supporter of British cycling and, at one point, a semi-pro cyclist – even taking part (under the name Oscar ‘The Duke’ Savile) in the 1951 Edition of the Tour of Britain; though Ian Steel won.
Amongst his innumerable charitable work, Savile was a dedicated campaigner for a number of cycling charities. Along with the likes of Miguel Indurain, Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, and Eddy Merckx, he was a supporter of the Dave Rayner Fund, which was set up in memory of the pro-cyclist who dies aged just 27.
For more information on the Dave Rayner Fund visit www.daveraynerfund.com
