Wow, how did I not know about Beryl Burton? I’m tempted to say it’s because she was only ever an amateur cyclist, world records notwithstanding—but maybe she was only ever an amateur because she was a woman. A woman who took a moment to hand a liquorice all-sort to men’s British Best All-Rounder cyclist Mike McNamara in 1967 as she passed him on her way to setting a new 12-hour time trial record, for any gender, of 277.25 miles (446 km). Yeah, I think she deserves more renown than cycling history has given her.
Narrated by Phil Liggett, this is an excerpt from a seemingly now unavailable full documentary and is one of only a few online videos about Beryl Burton.
