Double Paralympic gold medallists Adam Duggleby and Steve Bate have been recognised for their outstanding year by being awarded the C.A Rhodes Memorial Award for 2016.
Awarded by the Yorkshire Cycling Federation, The Memorial began in 1961 as a tribute to the memory of Charles Arthur Rhodes, who co-founded the Yorkshire Cycling Federation in 1932. It was first awarded to Beryl Burton, who would go on to win the award four times, and recognises outstanding achievement by cyclists from the region.
Duggleby, originally from Gilberdyke, East Yorkshire, was a British Cycling National Scratch Race Champion in 2012 before making the switch to the para-cycling programme. He was quickly paired up with stoker Bate who had relocated to Yorkshire to pursue his para-cycling ambitions.
The duo enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2015, medalling four times at UCI Para-cycling Road World Cups, including gold in the time trial at the final round in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
The start of 2016 saw them agonisingly miss out on a medal at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, finishing fourth in the tandem pursuit. They then won bronze in the time trial at the UCI Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium which was enough to gain them selection for their first Paralympic Games in Rio.
There, they enjoyed success on both the road and track, winning gold in the velodrome in the tandem pursuit and breaking the world record in the process. They followed that up with another dominant performance, finishing eight seconds clear in the time trial over the 30km course, before finishing their incredible Games with bronze in the road race.
British Cycling president, Bob Howden, himself a recipient of the award in 2013, paid tribute to their achievements:
“Since they first start riding together in 2014, Steve and Adam have enjoyed a meteoric rise which culminated in their outstanding achievements in winning two golds and a bronze at the Paralympics in Rio.
“Everyone in Yorkshire is incredibly proud of them and they have deservedly added their names to a long list of cycling greats.”
The C.A Rhodes Award will be presented at the Yorkshire Cycling Federation annual luncheon on 26 February 2017.
