It is only fitting, then, that the award that takes on his name is all about encouragement.

“He’s the best bloke you’d ever hope to know,” Aaron Portass said.

Having known him his whole life, Aaron said Bluey had been helping him with his riding since he was just 13-years-old. The pair trained together, and rode several races with one another over the years, including two Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classics. 

“He knew everybody, was friendly to everybody. Didn’t have a bad bone in his body. He was just a really good guy,” Aaron said. 

The Ian 'Blue' Manton Encouragement Award will be presented annually to the Northern NSW Division rider (Port Macquarie and north) whose ‘best effort epitomises the qualities displayed by Blue’.

Peter Sunderland, who has also done his time on the course billed as the toughest one day cycle race in Australia, felt Blue was the perfect namesake for the award.

“He was racing when I started racing as a kid,” he said. He remembered Blue as “always encouraging” and friendly, but said he still raced hard.

“He did encourage a lot of people to keep racing and do their best,” Peter said. 

“If there’s a person to have his name on the trophy, it’s definitely Bluey. He just helped so many riders over the course of his life and other riders’ lives,” Aaron said.

Blue kept an eye out for those who were struggling – those couldn’t keep up the pace, or were in the wrong position on the bike, Aaron said, and gave them guidance. “He used to race with my uncle in the Gilgai club in the 60s. So it’s gone back way back then, and he’s helped riders relentlessly all that time,” he said.

As a training partner, Aaron said Blue kept a steady temper.

“You could ride on his back wheel and not even have to look at it. He never changed his pace very often, he was a very steady rider, very fluid and very smooth rider.”

A welder for the Inverell Shire Council and mowing lawns on the weekends, Bluey was well known around town. “You could ride down the street and he’d have his hand up all the time, waving to people,” Aaron said.

His wife Cherie and daughter Tahnee were a constant support, there to cheer him on as he rode into town. He lost his battle to cancer in 2016, but his name will live on in the local cycling world for years to come.