3rd September 2021
A lecturer from Cornwall College has been selected as one of only seven Armed Forces veterans to kick off the opening stage of the Tour of Britain.
Royal Navy veteran Anthony Freethy, now working as the senior apprenticeship programme manager for electrical at the college’s Camborne campus, balances his time as an educator with a passion for road cycling.
Anthony served on several ships from Devonport before leaving the service in 1988. Following this, he joined the Territorial Army, serving with ‘C’ Coy, 6LI, which is now known as ‘The Rifles’.
Alongside six other veterans from Cornwall representing all the Armed Forces, Anthony will participate in the ‘Ride for Heroes’, as part of the Grand Départ stage of the UK’s premier road cycling event.
Cornwall is hosting the Tour of Britain for the first time ever, with the Grand Départ of this year’s race seeing riders travel 170 kilometres through the Cornish countryside, starting at Penzance and ending in Bodmin.
As a proud veteran and cycling enthusiast, Anthony is “surprised and delighted” to be involved.
“It’s a huge honour and I’m very thankful to Iain Henderson of the Veteran’s Charity for arranging for ‘Team VC’ to lead The Grand Depart on Sunday morning,” Anthony added.
“I’m really looking forward to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mark Cavendish, Ethan Hayter and other world-renowned riders.”
Anthony is a member of The Armed Forces Breakfast Club, a national network organised through The Veteran’s Charity’s enabling former service personnel to socialise on a monthly basis.
The members of Team VC opening the tour are representing local Breakfast Clubs from Penzance, Penwith, Camborne & Redruth and Falmouth & Penryn.
