Beryl: In Search of Britain's Greatest Athlete, Beryl Burton

by Jeremy Wilson

Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022. Winner of The Times Sports Books of The Year 2022. A Financial times Best Sports Book of 2022. Cyclist Beryl Burton dominated her sport much as her male contemporary Eddy Merckx, with a longevity that surpasses sporting legends like Muhammad Ali and Serena Williams. Practically invincible in time trials, Burton - also known as BB - finished as Best All-Rounder for 25 years and broke the record for the '12-hour' endurance race; an achievement unrivalled to this day. She won multiple world titles, but her achievements were limited by discrimination from the cycling authorities. Yet she carried on winning, beating men and - infamously - competing against her own daughter, whilst working full-time on a Yorkshire farm and running a household. With previously unseen material and through extensive interviews with family, friends, rivals and fellow sporting giants, Jeremy Wilson peels back the layers to reveal one of the most overlooked, yet compelling characters in cycling history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cycling, Biography

352 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Rob Twinem · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s probably true to say that if Beryl Burton had lived some 30 or 40 years later she would have been recognized as the greatest living woman cyclist. As we look back at her achievements, winning more than 90 domestic championships and seven world titles, we must marvel at how this remarkable woman succeeded at a time when women were refused equal status to their male counterparts, in many sporting arenas and in particular cycling. The 1st ladies tour de france was in 1955 however the disparity in pay and prize money has only been addressed in very recent times, with female riders still having an unfair advantage in their earning capability. But the gender disparity doesn’t end with prize money. For many women, the sport has long been exclusionary, with sparse access to funding that would allow women to compete in the first place. The UCI (International cycling union) did not implement a minimum wage for women cyclists until 2020, a standard already in place for men.

These conversations and outcomes were a long way in the future and the world of cycling that Beryl inhabited was neanderthal by comparison. A yorkshire woman born and bred, and with that came yorkshire grit; friendly but bloody minded, stubborn and argumentative. She only knew one way to cycle and that was to simply get to the front and stay there. There were no such luxuries as team cars and buses, her husband Charlie was her constant companion, driver and support, supplying only those items deemed really necessary. Woolen overgarments and cycling shorts bore little or no resemblance to modern lycra and the bright yellow sowester acted as a sail in rainy, stormy weather. This was the world that Beryl competed in, and she flourished, but at a price. The bicycle was her form of transport as well as her racing companion, she could average 400 miles a week in training and this naturally at times gave rise to absences from her daughter Denise. To gain extra finance and to improve her flexibility she worked picking rhubarb ( no fancy team masseur or indoor gym here!)

The passing of years only made Beryl more determined to keep winning even when her body dictated otherwise. She was rarely happy with what she had achieved, and minutes after the “win” elation it was back to hard work and long miles in the saddle. She developed anemia,and asthma and as a child rheumatic fever hospitalized her for 9 months. She had always had a somewhat odd heart arrhythmia and died of heart failure during a social ride, when she was out delivering birthday invitations for her 59th birthday party. Her daughter believed that Burton's competitive spirit and drive eventually just wore her body out.

This is without the doubt the best sports biography I have ever read. Jeremy Wilson captures the spirit of this remarkable athlete and brings her to life before my reading eyes. There is much to learn for all of us here…..to do…to reach out…to attain…to never give up……to go to the front and always remain. A fantastic book, a monumental achievement that should be read and loved by all.

[Mike Finch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Beryl Burton is an amazing, if slightly scary story. But I'm not convinced that this book does it justice. I didn't think it was that well constructed or written. I was a bit disappointed really. I've read much better sporting biographies.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

extraordinary sports person, unknown to me before, but dominated women's cycling for several decades, while living an otherwise relatively normal life
great accounts of road races and time trials, in particular against the best men
unsurprising but disappointing detail of discrimination against women cycling
did not shy away from darker implications of her obsession, on relationship with daughter as she also developed as world class cyclist and potential rival, and ultimately on her health as she could not seem to step back

[Paul Gater · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare 5 stars!

I’m not a great fan of biographies and sporting biographies can be unbelievably bland. But this is terrific because of the force of nature that was Beryl Burton and the author’s ability to represent that on the page. This is an extremely well-researched account of her life with a lot of input from interviews with family members. There are also some fascinating recollections from friends, luminaries of British cycling and her rivals.

I’m a cyclist but knew very little about how Beryl completely dominated women’s cycling in the UK for decades. She also won many world titles while operating in the misogynistic climate of the period (late 50s - 1980s). She paved the way for so many women cyclists of the current day. And in a way that seems astonishingly amateurish compared to the high-tech world of cycling now. There was no hint of performance-enhancing drugs in anything she achieved… just ‘Yorkshire grub’.

Beryl Burton is definitely one of the greatest British athletes that most people have never heard of and this book brings her life to the page so well. It might be a bit too British in some places for non-Brits… but I don’t think this should detract from enjoyment of the book.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a worthy winner of all the awards listed that the book picked up. i've not much to add - Beryl Burton was an interesting subject, an incredible subject really, given what she achieved in her cycling career. I mean, who averages 25mph on a 100 mile training run in the Yorkshire Dales? I'd be pushed to do that in a car, never mind a bike, but that would be an average session for Beryl. She trained to her limits and then thrashed every competitor in sight when she raced, including the men. The author tries hard to find out what motivated her, why was she so competitive, why did she have to dominate and control through the sport of cycling? He comes up with some interesting theories but even Beryl's daughter struggled to understand her mum's desperate need to win. The book sometimes gets a wee bit bogged down in listing and recounting rides from Beryl's career, but the stats are the framework of Beryl's story - they really are quite jaw-dropping to contemplate. I'm not sure Beryl comes across as a likeable person overall, but you have to admire her and admit that cycling might never see the likes of her again.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. I didn’t know anything about Beryl Burton beyond being a name in cycling. What a legend and an unsung hero of British women’s sport. Well all sport but she had to overcome so many disadvantages due to the patriarchy in cycling treating women cyclists so abhorrently. If this were a work of fiction it would be hard to believe. That BB was so driven she became the most long term successful sportsperson of all time (in my opinion now) and was real is extraordinary. Also helps that she was a Yorkie! One of the truly great cycling biographies thanks to the subject, and I’ve read a few. Great writing, fascinating story.

[Debi Brew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of Britain's earliest female champion cyclist. Although she had racing records that held for 50 years and in some instances bested men's records she was largely unknown outside of the cycling world. She was female and at the peak of her career women weren't really involved in competitive cycling.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t always find biographies/life stories that easy to get through but this one was terrific - what an awesome athlete and complex character she was. The author did a great job of balancing the good and the more difficult parts of the story. Would have given it 6 stars if I could!

[Zoe Vicarage · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly fascinating account of an imperious cyclist.

[Mr C Lapsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating stuff.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible! well worth reading even if not a cycling fan! beryl Burton is amazing definitely one of the best if not best sports people ever.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring