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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; When a cyclist is injured or crashes during the Tour de France, cycling&#8217;s premier race, the rest of the competitors will slow down.</p><p>The &#8220;slow ride&#8221; allows the wrecked rider a chance to rejoin the group.</p><p>On Saturday, roughly 100 area cyclists put their own spin on the slow ride to honor an icon of the local cycling community.</p><p>Tom Jones, co-owner of Around Town Bicycles in Wilkes-Barre, has been diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer. With the disease in an advanced stage, Jones and his family are unsure how much time the beloved store owner has left.</p><p>&#8220;Tom Jones is the leader of bicycling in the valley,&#8221; said Bob Kelley, a lifelong cyclist and friend of Jones and his family. &#8220;And for 45 years, he&#8217;s been the father for us riders with his bike shop, his promoting races and his experience in Los Angeles with (bike manufacturer) Giant.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s the number one bicyclist in our valley, and he&#8217;s been number one for years in the past, and (will be for) years in the future.&#8221;</p><p>Jones sat in front of his Lathrop Street home in a lawn chair with his family and girlfriend, Beth Slock, beside him. The bicyclists gathered at the corner of Charles Avenue and Dorrance Street then slowly rode past Jones&#8217; house. Many had tears in their eyes as they passed by.</p><p>Before meeting for the ride, most of the cyclists took part in a 40-mile ride through the West Side and Back Mountain, which will now be an annual ride in Jones&#8217; honor.</p><p>Jones has been involved in the area cycling community since working at his grandfather&#8217;s bicycle shop, Sickler&#8217;s Bike Shop, when he was a little boy, according to Kelley. Kelley said it was at that shop, located on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre, that Jones first learned about bicycles.</p><p>The family sold the shop in the 1990s. Jones opened Around Town Bicycles with Rich Adams in 2004, and it quickly became popular with area cyclists. It was named one of the best bike shops in America in 2013 by the National Bicycle Dealers Association.</p><p>Kelley was pleased with the turnout, adding that Jones&#8217; legacy will live on throughout the cycling community.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve known Tom for 30 years,&#8221; said Kevin Granahan, who led the ride in his vehicle. &#8220;I used to work for him at Sickler&#8217;s Bicycles back in the 1990s, and we&#8217;ve stayed close. I&#8217;ve been out of the valley for 20 years, I just got back last year, and we&#8217;ve reconnected, and I&#8217;ve been doing what I can to help him out through all of his issues.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just glad to have a chance to be here and see this. I&#8217;ve been fighting back tears all morning.&#8221;</p><p><ins>While cyclists took turns going up to Jones, Irene and Bob Wendoloski spoke of how Jones helped them to become the cycling enthusiasts they are today.</ins></p><p><ins>The couple said they first walked into Around Town Bicycles about 12 years ago, when Jones sold Irene the bike she&#8217;s currently riding. From there, their friendship blossomed, as the couple began joining Jones on a number of cycling trips and weekly rides.</ins></p><p><ins>&#8220;He really built our love of cycling, and in building that, he really built our cycle community,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We love him, and it&#8217;s just very emotional. He&#8217;s a fantastic guy, a wonderful friend. Around Town is a welcoming place. It&#8217;s not just a store, it&#8217;s a community.&#8221;</ins></p><p>Speaking on Jones&#8217; behalf, Slock said he was happy and surprised by the turnout.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s so loving and thoughtful and such a tribute to someone who spent his life building this, and it meant so much to him,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s so good for him to see everyone he&#8217;s touched throughout the years while he can.&#8221;</p><p>Surrounded by those who love and respect him, Jones continued to talk about cycling. Staring at a teal bike that was originally purchased out of his grandfather&#8217;s store, Jones happily spoke to the owner about its modifications. Standing behind him, Becky McMahon couldn&#8217;t help but get emotional.</p><p>McMahon is Jones&#8217; sister, who moved back to the area with her husband, Jim, to help her brother. Now just living a few homes away, she stood in the front yard watching the love pour out of the cycling community for her brother. She said Jones had successfully followed in her grandfather&#8217;s footsteps, becoming the patriarch of the family and a pillar in the cycling community. She was grateful for the cyclists&#8217; show of support.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s wonderful,&#8221; she said. &#8220;This is what makes him tick. He&#8217;s given his heart and soul into cycling, and it&#8217;s given him back the heart and soul in him.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Cyclists participate in a slow ride past the house of Around Town Bicycles owner Tom Jones on Saturday in Kinsgton. Jones is suffering from a rare form cancer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_ttl082117ride-6.jpg</photo0><caption0>Cyclists participate in a slow ride past the house of Around Town Bicycles owner Tom Jones on Saturday in Kinsgton. Jones is suffering from a rare form cancer. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_ttl082117ride-4-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Beth Slock looks at her boyfriend, Tom Jones, as he watches a procession of cyclists pedal past his house Saturday morning in Kingston to show their love and respect. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_ttl082117ride-4-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Beth Slock looks at her boyfriend, Tom Jones, as he watches a procession of cyclists pedal past his house Saturday morning in Kingston to show their love and respect. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_ttl082117ride1-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tom Jones shakes hands with Sid Holsor, of Dallas. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_ttl082117ride1-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Tom Jones shakes hands with Sid Holsor, of Dallas. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_ttl082117ride-3-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Beth Slock hugs her boyfriend, Tom Jones, as family and friends ride bikes past his house in Kingston on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_ttl082117ride-3-3.jpg</photo3><caption3>Beth Slock hugs her boyfriend, Tom Jones, as family and friends ride bikes past his house in Kingston on Saturday morning. </caption3><photoCredit3>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_ttl082117ride-1-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bicyclists do a slow ride past the home of Tom Jones as he sits outside with his girlfriend, Beth Slock. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_ttl082117ride-1-3.jpg</photo4><caption4>Bicyclists do a slow ride past the home of Tom Jones as he sits outside with his girlfriend, Beth Slock. </caption4><photoCredit4>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Area cyclists turn out to honor Around Town Bicycles owner Tom Jones