James Pope, Grant Young, Kristian House, Guy Pearson and Stephen Green honoured

Five bicycle traders get Freedom of the City of London

Yesterday (June 3rd) saw bike trade faces join the likes of William Pitt, Winston Churchill and David Beckham in becoming Freemen of the City of London.

FACE Partnership MD James Pope, Grant Young of Condor Cycles, Kristian House (Rapha Condor JLT), Guy Pearson of Pearson Cycles and Stephen Green from Brooks were all given the Freedom of the City of London.

Pope has been on the managment team since the Nocturne’s inception in 2007, and has also been one of the driving forces behind the Revolution Series elite track cycling league, formed in 2003.

Pope said: "This is a great honour and it’s really good to see members of the cycling industry – including the pro riders – recognised for their contribution to the cycling scene over the years. It’s a great way to warm up for Saturday’s Jupiter London Nocturne at Smithfield Market."

Young has been working at Condor Cycles for over 40 years after his father founded the business in 1948. The Condor brand is now recognised across the world, with stockists as far afield as Korea. Sir Bradley Wiggins began his career riding for Condor’s team and they remain a strong force in the UK cycling scene.

Steve Green, UK sales and events manager at British brand Brooks England, has been an employee at the Birmingham-based factory for 36 years. Extra UK provided us with some insight on Green: "Taking on an array of sales and administration responsibilities, Steve is a hugely popular and well known representative of the company at trade shows and events across the globe, from Eurobike and NAHBS, to Bespoked. Unparalleled knowledge of Brooks England, its product history and heritage ensure that as a brand ambassador Steve is an icon in his own right."

Pearson Cycles is among the UK’s oldest bike shops. There’s more on Guy Pearson and Pearson Cycles here.

Rapha Condor JLT’s House was heading straight to Redditch after the morning’s ceremony in London for the latest round of the Tour Series, and will ride Saturday’s Nocturne alongside team-mates Ed Clancy, Graham Briggs, Felix English and Chris Opie.Tyler Farrar and Nathan Haas – who have just completed the gruelling Giro d’Italia – will both ride for Garmin-Sharp while Josh Edmondson and CJ Sutton represent Team Sky. NFTO Pro Cycling, Madison Genesis and Team Raleigh will also bring strong teams.

The 2014 Jupiter London Nocturne takes places this Saturday at Smithfield Market in London. More details on that and ticket options here.

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