Cycling stalwart Kenny Steele was left in disbelief after being honoured with a prestigious award for his extensive work in event organisation and coaching.
The 53-year-old from Erskine will be awarded the Outstanding Contribution – Official of the Year at the 2026 British Cycling Awards, presented by Lloyds in Manchester on November 14.
Steele is a prolific event organiser and coach for the Johnstone Jets, running the Monsters of Track series in Glasgow as well as playing an instrumental role in the opening of Clyde Cycle Park.
“It feels unbelievable. It came as quite a surprise when I was informed. It was quite humbling, honestly. It was a very pleasant surprise, and it's great,” he said.
“Getting involved in organising events, you get the opportunity to work or volunteer with people from all walks of life, from all over.
“Everyone gets involved at their own level, in terms of how much they can contribute, but they're all wanting the same thing - to volunteer and put on events, officiate, or even race themselves.
“When people get awards, it can be seen as an individual achievement, but when we're putting events on here in Glasgow, it's Johnstone Wheelers and Johnstone Jets Cycling, and we've got a myriad of people involved.”
Steele, who has always been a keen cyclist, returned to the sport after years away to rejoin Johnstone Wheelers.
It was from there that he began getting involved in various club activities like century rides, club time trials and road races, before the creation of the youth section - Johnstone Jets - where he is also now heavily involved.
That includes Steele’s hugely successful Monsters of Track series, which attracts riders from across the UK and Ireland, as well as the Scottish Youth & Junior Track Championships and British Interregional Championships.
And his work has facilitated some of Scottish Cycling’s biggest talents.
“One of my best memories was in 2015, when we organised the British Cycling Youth Crit and Youth Road Race Championships as a club, in Paisley, my hometown,” Steele recalled.
“That was really something, bringing an event like that into the centre of Paisley, with full support and full road closures in your hometown. Something like that is just fantastic.
“It was great to see the whole community and the whole Scottish cycling community come together for that event. I was literally naming corners after officials and marshals and things like that.
“That's probably one of my proudest moments, and still seeing the number of riders who went on to WorldTour level and beyond. Fred Wright, [Lewis] Askey, Jess Roberts and Jenny Holl were all there.
“Being involved in those events when those riders are youth riders, giving them that opportunity and then seeing where they've taken themselves in their careers is great.”
The Outstanding Contribution Award recognises officials who offer reliable, friendly faces helping events run fairly and safely, often without recognition.
This year alone, Steele has helped coordinate the availability and maintenance of timing kit across Scotland, ensuring many events could go ahead, and has continued to be a crucial member of the timing team at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
And across all his work in Scottish Cycling, inclusion comes baked into Steele’s approach, whether that’s ensuring opportunities for the youth races or integrating Scottish Disability Sport.
“It's just normal. We've got a microculture up here in Glasgow, at least in the track scene, and part of that is very much the Scottish Disability Sport riders,” he said.
“It's about giving them the opportunity to race alongside everyone else. It should just be more the norm.”
The British Cycling Awards presented by Lloyds is celebrating those inspiring individuals who have brought the joy of cycling to communities across the country, through their performance on the global stage, to their tireless work at grassroots level. See how you can join the movement of cycling by visiting britishcycling.org.uk
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