Beryl Burton

[Gruffy]

I just spotted this article on the BBC News feed and thought it worthy of sharing here.

BBC article said:

In 1967, Beryl Burton was competing in a 12-hour time trial when she came to overtake the leading men's cyclist Mike McNamara.

McNamara was on his way to setting a new men's record of 276 miles in 12 hours. On her way past him, Burton took pity and offered him a liquorice allsort.

"Poor Mac," she later wrote. "His glory, richly deserved, was going to be overshadowed by a woman."

Burton covered 277 miles that day. It would be two years before a man beat that distance. Despite advances in design and fitness, no woman has done so yet.

You can only judge sporting greatness relative to an athlete's contemporaries. She must rank amongst the greatest of all time across any discipline.

Beryl Burton wikipedia entry
5 minute extract from Racing Is Life on YouTube

[okgo]

Yep, very impressive stuff and surely one of the greats of the sport!

I reckon her record will fall, a clubmate of mine is showing great promise this last couple of years in longer distance stuff...

[Gruffy]

Records always fall. That it's lasted almost half a century already, through all the amazing progress of women's sport and technological development is incredible.

[Mutley]

Go to BBC Iplayer, and her daughter tells the story on this weeks Countryfile.

Quite a good show this week, Le Tour centric in its articles

[okgo]

Gruffy said:

Records always fall. That it's lasted almost half a century already, through all the amazing progress of women's sport and technological development is incredible.

Yes, it is, she was clearly very gifted.

One thing that has not changed that much is participation on the women's side at this distance. Only ten women in the last ten years have entered the all time fastest list for 12 hour events while there have been 33 men to enter the same list in the same period (to be on the list you need to have done over 240 miles as a woman, and 280 as a man).

Anyway, I really hope said rider I know manages it, it would be an incredible record to break, mainly because it has stood so long. And I hope it encourages more women into that side of the sport.