Ontario Cycling is proud to announce the introduction of the Mountain Bike -Downhill, Ryan Victor Griffin Award for Teamwork & Dedication
Milton, ON (March 31st, 2022). Ontario Cycling in partnership with the Griffin Family, are proud to announce, the introduction of the Ryan Victor Griffin Award for Teamwork and Dedication for athletes in the mountain bike downhill community.
“We are so extremely pleased and grateful to partner with Ontario Cycling in the creation of this new award honouring Ryan’s memory. Ryan would be so very proud to carry-on such a lasting legacy in the mountain bike community.” – The Griffin Family.
Ryan Victor Griffin was born August 16th, 1992, in Peterborough, Ontario, the youngest of 3 children for Andy and Denise Griffin, and a brother for Hannah and Parker. From an early age Ryan demonstrated a love for the outdoors and being active. His favourite activities included hiking, swimming, skateboarding, and, above all else, he loved being on his bike.
Ryan did a few years of cross-country biking before discovering his true passion – Downhill racing. Ryan was a dedicated racer on the Ontario Cup Downhill circuit from 2006-2009 and always took the time to give back to the cycling community.
After high school Ryan moved to Alberta where he worked on a 500-acre grain farm driving combines and other large farm machinery, with trips to the mountains in his spare time. He later moved back to Ontario and in 2017 joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a Gunner in the 2nd Regiment of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.
In June of 2019 Ryan was part of the Canadian contingent to participate in the 75th Anniversary D-Day celebrations in Normandy France – one of his proudest moments in a career that he loved so much. It was also in 2019 that he was promoted to the rank of Bombardier.
Sadly, Ryan passed away suddenly on November 2nd, 2021.
The Griffin Family wish to honour both Ryan’s passion for cycling as well as his incredible dedication and generosity to the cycling community, through the implementation of this award.
Award Eligibility
To be eligible for nomination the following criteria must be met:
- Riders who are U19 and younger
- Not gender specific
- Must be a MTB cyclist
- Registered OC member in good standing
- Actively participated in the current season
- Hard work and dedication, consistently going above and beyond expectations
- Willingness to help others / give back to the sport (e.g., sharing riding skills, mentorship, volunteering, helping with repairs, sharing spare parts, etc.)
- Perseverance/resilience (e.g., never giving up no matter what, riding through minor injuries, doing their best to finish the race, etc.)
- Race attendance – actively participating in as many opportunities as they can within current season
- Race completion
The formal nomination process will be released to membership in July with the award being awarded to one rider from the Downhill community in November. All applicants will be reviewed through a formal selection committee which includes representatives of Ontario Cycling, the Griffin Family, and the Ontario Cycling Mountain Bike Community.
“We are honoured to work with the Griffin Family to create this award in memory of their son, Ryan Griffin.” said Pamela Julian, Ontario Cycling President & CEO, “We know this award will not only produce a lasting legacy for Ryan’s contributions to the sport he loved, but also showcase the youth in the Downhill Mountain Bike community.”
Thank you again to the Griffin Family for this wonderful legacy for their son.
Rest in Peace Bombardier Ryan Griffin. May this annual award in your name honour your love of biking and your passion for hard work and dedication.
For more information on the award, please contact [email protected]