Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

"Snub" as Yorkshire's Tour de France supremo misses out in New Year's Honours List

Yorkshire Post asks, where’s Gary Verity’s gong? But he gets an award closer to home

The Yorkshire Post says that the absence of Gary Verity’s name from the New Year’s Honours List is a “snub” to the man who delivered on his promise of delivering “the Grandest of Grand Départs” for the Tour de France.

Welcome to Yorkshire’s chief executive had the idea of leading a bid to stage the start of the race while shaving one morning, and saw off a rival bid from Scotland that had the support of both British Cycling and the government.

When the annual list of receipients of awards including knighthoods and OBEs was published last week, a number of cycling fans on Twitter from Yorkshire and beyond expressed surprise that his name was missing.

In an editorial, the Yorkshire Post says that “many thought his efforts were worthy of a knighthood,” and describes his absence from the list as “a disappointing omission that will surprise and dismay many in this county who continue to be in awe of his enthusiasm and determination.”

While the newspaper acknowledges that Verity would “be the first to say that he presided over a team effort” – and mentions that Peter Smith of Leeds City Council was awarded an OBE “for services to sports development in Leeds and the Tour de France Grand Départ” – it adds that “such a notable oversight cannot pass without comment or criticism.”

It notes that a number of people associated with Glasgow’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games “are amongst a lengthy list of sports administrators to be celebrated,” adding that “while these recipients are worthy, it still does not excuse the decision to snub Mr Verity – or the team who supported him.”

It adds that Verity’s achievements go well beyond bringing the Tour de France to the region, noting that he “has spent the best part of a decade transforming Yorkshire’s tourism industry into one of this region’s biggest success stories,” and noting that the chairman of VisitScotland received an OBE.

The editorial concluded: “What more does Mr Verity have to do before his efforts are formally recognised by his country?”

He did receive recognition from within cycling circles in Yorkshire, however – last week he was named winner of the 2014 C A Rhodes Memorial by the Yorkshire Cycling Federation.
According to the award trustees: “His vision of bringing the Tour de France Grand Départ to Yorkshire and his drive and determination to lead his team to a successful execution have raised the profile of Yorkshire as a tourist destination, as an area capable of hosting world class events and has massively increased participation in cycling.

With the Tour de Yorkshire set to debut in May, they added: “A legacy has been created for future major international bike races and there has been a huge increase in tourism.”

The award was inaugurated in 1961 in memory of Charles Arthur Rhodes who co-founded the Yorkshire Cycling Federation in 1932.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

17 comments

Avatar
andyp | 9 years ago
0 likes

So it was the thinking of the idea, rather than the doing his job, which should be honoured?

brilliant. I just thought of an underwater helicopter. Knighthood beckons.

Seriously - many other people over the years have spearheaded the idea of hosting the GD and championed the opportunity of hosting it. It just hadn't happened in Yorkshire previously. Why does that make it suddenly different?

Is it anything to do with the fact that one person with Yorkshire in their forum name and two with white roses as avatars think so?  3

Avatar
andyp | 9 years ago
0 likes

Yes, the people of Britain. What made it a *real* success was the numbers who turned out. Not just locals watching in their own village, not just cycling fans, but people travelling hundreds of miles to be a part of it.

That.

Not the team presentation, or the fact that it started at Harewood House and was officially opened by some royals - the crowds, the atmosphere and the passion. You'll find that most comments from the riders involved were about their amazement at the numbers of spectators. Not about the 'behind the scenes' stuff.

Avatar
Simon E | 9 years ago
0 likes

"the people of Britain"???

The vast majority of them (or us) had naff-all to do with the Yorkshire bid, its success and the GD. Which is almost universally accepted as being a considerably better event than London in 2007. And, yes, the best ever.

Prudhomme: ""When you said you would deliver the grandest Grand Depart it was the truth, you have raised the bar for all future hosts of the Tour de France"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/28188083

Gary Verity may or may not be a saint, but it's irrelevant. He drove the whole thing forward from the beginning, the team did a truly fantastic job.

Avatar
andyp | 9 years ago
0 likes

'Bringing the TDF to Yorkshire was not just someone doing "their job". It was a hugely off the wall idea. When first mentioned everyone was incredulous.'

It really wasn't. The UK had staged the Tour, and the GD before. Some people may have been incredulous, many weren't.

'Not only did Gary & the team pull it off, they staged the best Grand depart ever. '

He certainly did a good job. An awful lot of the success of the 'best Grand Depart ever' (IYO) was down to the people of Britain however, not him.

Avatar
manmachine | 9 years ago
0 likes

Being present at Stage 2, it is absolutely no wonder he was omitted. What a complete cock up it was imo.

Prior to stage 2, on the day before I scoped out a few good places to watch. Though on race morning to my utter dismay, we had found Clifford's Tower completely fenced off, as was the York City Walls. Many of the side streets were closed off as well.

Rendering ANY advantage of actually seeing the tour, other than at street level. Probably all a result of some ill-perceived security problem or issue I'm sure. The experience was basically decimated by the inept, typical political incompetence of city and local organizers.

By the time we reached the Minster, the crowd was 3 and 4 deep, with zero fucking chance of seeing any of the riders. As Martin Moone would say..oh balls. I could hear the whir of cogs and the roar of the crowds, but had seen nothing in those fleeting few minutes in which the tour passed through.

What is puzzling is that I had heard Stage 1, Leeds-Harrogate was very good. So, out in the country side, no problem, but in the city, the plan was to corral fans and pack them in like animals in a herd, instead of allowing them to spread out. Brill,  41  29

After being at the '10 Stage 8 in Avoriaz and the '12 stage 8 in Porrentruy, my expectations were high, but it turns out York seemed like a shit show. Very disappointing indeed.

The upside was that York itself, was quite stunning. An amazing city that turned out to be one of my favorite destinations of all time. The history, the beautiful architecture, the atmosphere, the cuisine, and the people did not disappoint in any way.

Avatar
Flying Scot | 9 years ago
0 likes

Perhaps no one thought to nominate him, rather than the committee 'snubbing' him?

Avatar
Simon E replied to Flying Scot | 9 years ago
0 likes
Flying Scot wrote:

Perhaps no one thought to nominate him, rather than the committee 'snubbing' him?

I don't think so. Below are Gary's own words from another Yorkshire Post article on 31 December:

Quote:

Back in July Mr Verity told The Yorkshire Post that he was not expecting to receive an honour, saying: “I am not expecting to get any sort of gong, or whatever you want to call it. You can put money on it.

“I am not the most popular with the establishment and there are a lot of politicians who would quite happily not have had it happened like it did last weekend - but that is for them.”

Avatar
gazza_d | 9 years ago
0 likes

It would have been fitting for Gary to get an award.

Bringing the TDF to Yorkshire was not just someone doing "their job". It was a hugely off the wall idea. When first mentioned everyone was incredulous.

Not only did Gary & the team pull it off, they staged the best Grand depart ever. The whole thing grabbed the imagination of Yorkshire like nothing else before.

So yea an award should have been a given.

Avatar
arfa | 9 years ago
0 likes

Whilst totally agreeing with the sentiment that Verity and his team deserve recognition, it has bee a long time since I've come across a Yorkshireman who has given a second thought to a lack of endorsement from his southern counterparts  3

Avatar
Simon E | 9 years ago
0 likes

The Honours system is an archaic and meaningless feudal practice.

Gary and his team deserve all the credit they've received for the greatest Grand Depart in Tour history. Hopefully its success will be reflected in future cycling events and the county's image both here and abroad. These things are worth far, far more to Yorkshire (and hopefully to Gary Verity himself) than 3 meaningless letters after his name.

Avatar
levermonkey replied to Simon E | 9 years ago
0 likes
Simon E wrote:

Gary and his team deserve all the credit they've received for the greatest Grand Depart in Tour history. Hopefully its success will be reflected in future cycling events and the county's image both here and abroad. These things are worth far, far more to Yorkshire (and hopefully to Gary Verity himself) than 3 meaningless letters after his name.

+As many as you like.
To recognise the hard work of Welcome to Yorkshire and the Committee that organised the Grand Depart by rewarding their head, Gary Verity, would have been nice and his pointed omission speaks louder than words.

His legacy will always be increased visitor numbers to Yorkshire and a Grand Depart that all future Grand Departs will be measured against.

So I'll happily raise a glass of Old Peculiar and say "Well done lad and screw their bloody honours."

Avatar
andyp | 9 years ago
0 likes

I don't particularly agree with the honours system at the best of times, but I've never felt that people should be honoured just for 'doing their job'.

Avatar
YorkshireMike replied to andyp | 9 years ago
0 likes

Not really just "doing his job" - when he thought of the idea he had nothing to do with any of this. He spearheaded a genius idea from scratch that became a huge success. It was an opportunity that no one else had thought to champion.

Avatar
Northernbike | 9 years ago
0 likes

these kind of childish political snubs certainly further diminish the honours system but can never take away from the achievements of the folks they are aimed at.

The opinion of the folks who voted with their feet and lined the roads of Yorkshire for those two days make whatever a bunch of London civil servants think about the whole thing seem distinctly irrelevant.

Avatar
Leodis | 9 years ago
0 likes

"Now then, now then" enough said.

Avatar
Al__S | 9 years ago
0 likes

Has anyone thought to ask him if he was offered one? The palace don't produce a list of those that decline.

Avatar
Bazzer | 9 years ago
0 likes

" saw off a rival bid from Scotland that had the support of both British Cycling and the government" - there's the reason!

Latest Comments