By Oli Dickson Jefford, Sportsbeat

Guernsey cycling star Jack Reed hopes a continued French connection can fuel his Grand Tour ambitions.

The 18-year-old first started cycling as a child, encouraged to take up the sport by his dad and ultimately honing his skills at special British Cycling Go Ride sessions.

And with Reed having gone from strength to strength with life on two wheels, he now finds himself based on the continent with his sights set on the very peak of the sport.

“Once I started to ride a bike I built all my technical skills and other skills on the bike you need,” said Reed, who is being supported by Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) through SportsAid this year.

“From there I progressed into racing and I’ve just gone up and up and up, where in theory I’m a full-time athlete now.

“Coming second at Junior National Race Tour de Morbihan last year was a really big one for me. It was right at the end of three months racing out in France, so to top it off with a result like that really was my highlight.

“The team I’m in this year, that was because of that result so it really helped me - that’s a national Division 2 team out in France, Velo Sport Valletais, so I’m doing some of the biggest national races across all of France.

“This year I’m moving from the Junior to the U23 rank, so I’m pretty much the rookie. I’m the youngest in my team, it’s my first year at this level. It’s just a lot of stepping up and a lot of learning really. This year is just hopefully getting some results helping the team and progressing into that new category.

“I’d like to become professional, doing some of the best races of the world if at all possible - your Tour de France’s and races like that. Hopefully the way I’m going is the right way and the progression I need for it.”

Reed was announced as part of RBC’s ‘Class of 2023’ at a welcome reception in London last week. He is one of 50 athletes, across 34 sporting disciplines, to have received an award contributing towards costs such as travel, accommodation and equipment.

RBC and SportsAid are celebrating 10 years of partnership in 2023 with over £1 million of support, including more than £325,000 raised by employees, provided to the charity over the course of the last decade.

And while France is undoubtedly the place to be for Reed as he harnesses his cycling skills, that doesn’t come without financial challenges and he is already feeling the positive impact of being supported by RBC and SportsAid.

He added: “This support, I don’t think I’d be able to do what I’m doing without it really. I’m living out in France on my own, and the money I’ve saved up is really only what I had from a part-time job around cycling.

“Now I'm in France I’m just relying solely on the support from SportsAid. I’m so honoured to be part of this team and the people that have been supported by them in the past.

“I have to pay for my rent, my fuel for races, everyday cost of living. All the money from SportsAid is going towards that so without it I can’t be doing what I’m doing. I’m living the dream really!”

Royal Bank of Canada is proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact/