Obituary Colin Lewis 1942-2022

Tour finisher and West Country stalwart

- James Shrubsall

Cycling is mourning the death of former national road champion and Tour de France finisher Colin Lewis, who died earlier this month after battling cancer. He was 79.

Born in Caerphilly, Wales in 1942, Lewis relocated to Devon at a young age. After a successful racing career he remained heavily involved in grass-roots cycling in various roles until only a few years ago.

Lewis always extolled the merits of the West Country, saying that it was hard not to become strong on the bike when training in such hilly terrain.

Beginning his racing career with MidDevon CC, Lewis’s ability was quickly apparent, and he was winning races from the very start of admission to the senior ranks. In 1963, still an amateur, Lewis rode the Milk Race, taking consistently high placings throughout, a performance he followed up the next year with his first win there, into Buxton on stage 1b. In 1964 he was 25th in the Olympic road race, the first British finisher.