News: Keen fan backs Shopshire Club

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A keen cycling fan, who has helped bring forward such talent as well-known professionals Jeremy Hunt and Dan Martin, has given his backing to a Shropshire-based club.

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Bob Grinsell, 66, has invested £1,500 in the Paramount Performance Cycling Racing Team, created earlier this year from young riders within Paramount CRT.

He said it was important to him to invest in young talent for the future. In fact, Mr Grinsell was previously a sponsor of Mike Jones, the team’s Director Sportif, when he was younger, and is now closely watching Mr Jones’ son, Elliot Jones, a key member of the team.

He said: “Mike rode with my team Robert Grinsell Travel when he was younger. Mike has always been a brilliant rider. His nickname is Rhino as he’s as hard as nails and always gives everything. It’s so important to sponsor young riders for the future of cycling.”

Over the years, Mr Grinsell kept in touch with Mr Jones and wanted to get involved with the Paramount Performance CRT. He said:“Mike talked to me about helping him to get some young lads through and I was happy to support him.”
Mr Jones also helped to adapt an electric bike for Mr Grinsell to make it look like a road bike.

Mr Grinsell, who suffers from arthritis, thought his riding days were over until bought an electric bike. He said: “But it looked like a city bike and nothing like a racing bike, which I love to ride, but Mike was able to assist. He converted it for me.

“It’s wonderful. I can ride it like a normal bike until it starts getting difficult and then I press another button and it goes off for me. “It helps me keep riding. Without that I would not be able to do any difficult riding or get very far at all.”

Mr Grinsell has since thought the converted bike could be an idea for a new venture and has set up a business, still in its embryonic stage, called Power Ride-Power Assisted Bikes. As well as being a sponsor of a couple of racing teams, Mr Grinsell, who lives in Solihull, is also President of a West Midlands based-Club, which over the years has nurtured the talents of Jeremy Hunt, twice National Road Race Champion, who retired from Team Sky last year, and Dan Martin, currently riding for Team Garmin Sharp, and winner of this years Liege – Bastogne – Liege, as well as a stage win in Le Tour de France.

“I’m really impressed with Paramount so far,” Mr Grinsell said. “Two riders specifically have excelled as far as I’m concerned. One is Elliot Jones and the other is Chris Wilkinson. I think they could potentially go far. I will certainly be sponsoring them again next year.”

Mr Jones said it was great to see Mr Grinsell supporting Paramount Performance CRT. “He was really good to me when I was younger and racing. It is fantastic to have such support for the team.” Ben Lawrence, managing director of insurance broker Beaumont Lawrence and Co, which sponsors the team, and the racing team manager, said with help from people such as Mr Grinsell, the team certainly has the potential to go far. “We are really pleased to work with Mr Grinsell. He has a lot of experience and we fully appreciate that.”

For more information about the Paramount Performance Cycling Team see https://www.facebook.com/ParamountPerformanceCrt

 

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