Jane's husband and son lead Tour stage

THE 10-year-old son of cancer campaigner Jane Tomlinson smiled bravely as he helped lead off the Yorkshire stage of the Tour of Britain cycle ride in Rother Valley Country Park.

Steven Tomlinson, along with dad Mike and close friends, cycled the first mile of the leg to celebrate the life of his mum, who died last week aged 43 after losing her battle against cancer. Jane, who graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2002, became a national celebrity after dedicating her life to raising money for charity after being diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2000. She raised 1.7 million during a series of high profile sports events.

Yesterday, before joining the other 92 cyclists taking part in the Yorkshire stretch of the race, Ryan Bowd, who cycled with Jane across the US and took part in the Ironman competition with her, said: “For people who used to cycle with Jane it was a day to celebrate what she did.

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“Jane did what she did for two reasons - one was to raise cash for charity and the other was to create great memories for her family. We just want to ensure that Jane’s memory lives on.”

Friend Martyn Holling-worth, who cycled with Jane across the US and during her Rome to Home challenge, added: “I always loved it when someone said Jane couldn’t do something because it would spur her on to do it to prove people wrong. She had a great attitude and will always be remembered.”

Yorkshire Forward yesterday announced that it has ensured a leg of the race, which was this year dedicated to Jane, will be staged in the region for the next three years.

n Visit thestar.co.uk for more photos.