The avvesome Beryl Burton killing it.
@RobSandy has done us a real favor with this article. The old gits among us remember Ms. Burton as a force-of-nature cyclist. She loved her bikes, she loved keeping her bikes working perfectly and she loved hauling ass on her bike. What’s not to love?
VLVV, Gianni
There is a lot talked on this website about being pro, being a badass, the permutations of Rule #5 and Rule #10, but if one small anecdote can encompass all of these things, I like to think it would go something like this:
It’s the 17th of September 1967, and the National Champion Mike MacNamara is riding in the British National 12-hour time trial. He is in great form and puts in what would be a new record distance of 276 miles.
Out on the course, however, he is surprised to find himself being overtaken, even though his next competitor started 2 minutes behind him. He is probably slightly more astonished when the cyclist passing him turns out to be a woman. As she passes, she digs into a bag in her jersey pocket and offers him a liquorice allsort.
“Ta, love,” he mutters as she cruises past and away into the distance.
The rider was Beryl Burton, on her way to setting a new record of her own, 277.25 miles in 12 hours riding at an average of 23 miles an hour, or 37.18 kph. As Mike MacNamara became aware at the finish, this was not only a women’s record, it was a national record (beating his own superb effort that day). Moreover, it is a record that still stands to this day.
“Poor Mac,” Burton later wrote. “His glory, richly deserved, was going to be overshadowed by a woman.”
Beryl Burton is probably one the greatest British cyclists in history, whether or not you make the distinction of her having been a woman, and allowing for the fact that virtually no one has heard of her. In the era before professionalism (which was offered to her during her career and refused repeatedly), when road races were banned on UK roads she was dominant in time trials. Her record for 10 miles (21 minutes, 25 seconds) stood from 1967 to 1993 – Twenty years. Her record over 25 miles (53:21) stood for the same amount of time. She also held records over 30, 50 and 100 miles which all stood for over 10 years. She was a different breed.
Yet even during her peak she was pretty much unknown by the British public and wider world. During her stellar year of 1967 she came 2nd in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year to the boxer Henry Cooper, which along with an OBE was her only public accolade, despite seven world titles, 96 national titles and being the best British all-rounder for 25 consecutive years.
Phil Ligget commented on Beryl’s achievement that year and the lack of acclaim which resulted;
“It was a coveted record, [and] had it been any other sport other than cycling, say it being a football icon scoring three goals against Brazil, it would have been front-page news. It almost slipped under the doormat, apart from the cycling magazines who knew the enormity of what she’d done. And as far as I know, it has never been done anywhere in the world either, where a woman has got up and beaten a man’s record in the sport.”
So, this is my case for Beryl Burton to be recognised as a total badass, and made an honourary Velominata. She was awesome.
But there is a sad epilogue to Beryl’s story, which perhaps epitomises Rule #5. Beryl suffered a childhood illness which left her with a scar on her heart, and one day in 1996 while she was out riding, delivering party invitations for her 59th birthday, her heart failed, and she died. On the bike.
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Great piece and fantastic to see a write up on Burton in Velominati. When I was getting into the TT scene in the UK (the Scottish part) in the early 80s, she was already a legend. I think if she entered a race, the hearts of other riders just sank. Second place would be the best they could hope for. Pretty much the same as when you saw G. Obree on the start sheet). Never got the recognition she deserved outside the sport.
I'm bot sure how the British TT scene is now, but certainly through the 80s, the BBAR (British Best All-Rounder) competition for time triallists was fierce, and Cycling Weekly (aka The Comic) covered it diligently. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Best_All-Rounder
From 1959 to 1983 Burton won the women's classification. That's domination and puts her in a select group with two other incredible women cyclists: Jeanne Longo and Marianne Vos.
Love the pics of Burton posted above. Note: no water bottles. I suspect that she had then handed up to her if required. Also the gear she's pushing on her Ron Kitching bike is massive. 54-12 I'd imagine. I think the crankset is a TA with long cranks - TA made chainrings bigger than the standard 52. Love too the positioning of the rear brake inside the stay bridge.
damn she's got tree trunk guns! would love to see have seen her race Paris Roubaix
Oh, and one more thing. BB's accomplishments were done on what is, by today's standards, a regular, old school steel bike. Ok, the tires and tubs would have been top notch, but nary a hint of carbon anything, aero bars, skinsuit, aero helmet etc, etc. Imagine what times she would have done with today's gear and equipment.
@wiscot
And you could definitely argue that it puts her in a class with just Vos as there is a "cloud of uncertainty", to say the least, around good ol'Gramma Longo's career results!
@wilburrox
I read one article on Vonn a few years back now and she came off as a nutjob. Sounds like she essentially ruined her family, ruined her parents marriage, then married her wacko coach/ski caretaker, which caused a split with her father. And now she's split with that dude. And...was/is dating a guy who banged women in parking lots and on diner table tops while his wife and children were at home. Totally a guy I'd like my daughter to date!
Vonn clearly uses her mental focus to stay sharp on the skis, but not off them. And the rah-rah atmosphere around her is exactly the reason I don't like the Olympics.
@Buck Rogers
Agreed. I don't think the Divine Ms Marianne has ever had a whiff of doubt as to her achievements, whereas for Mme Longo . . . cough, cough.
@Ron
Yeah, put Vonn in the same category as Hope Solo and Tonya Harding. Talented . . . . but crazy.
I like that she rides so exclusively in the drops, that the rest of the bars isn't even wrapped. Pretty Raleigh Team Professional.
@John Liu
I think it was regulated that bars must have plugs and be taped, but not quite clear on just how much tape. As anyone knows, less tape = mo fasta. I just noticed too that she's removed the rubber hoods from the brake levers. Who needs them when you're 100% on the drops? She's getting that bike as light as possible without resorting to some of the gimmicky drilling that some TT riders (Alf Engers, I'm looking at you) did.
Ugh, seeing those bare, awful hoods makes me realize how easy we have it today with ergonomic levers, articulated hoods, and a variety of bars to allow the transition that works best for you and your hands.
I'm still thinking that one market segmentation coming is the offering of different sizes of shifters for different sizes of hands.