Awesome ladies : Beryl Burton OBE (1937-1996)

I want to do a regular homage to awesome ladies from the past. To be honest I didn't know anything about Beryl Burton until fairly recently and then her story blew me away. She was one of Britain's best ever athletes and dominated women's cycling for 3 decades from the 1950's to 1970's. Imagine winning 7 world titles and 96 national titles whilst holding down a part time job and looking after a family.

My favourite story is of her setting a new 12 hour time trial record that broke the existing men's record and which then stood unbeaten for 2 whole years! As she overtook Mike McNamara, the men's champion she offered him a piece of liquorice as she overtook him to glory. Pheww what a lady!


Unknown in the UK if she had been a French or German woman she would have been paraded in an open top bus  infront of thousands.



The mural at the Beryl Burton Mermorial garden in Morley, West Yorkshire

Links :Beryl : a love story on two wheels.

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