Beryl Burton (centre) was at her absolute peak in 1967. So good she beat the best men in the UK, she was also given the chance to race head-to-head against some of the best male professionals in the world, including a Tour de France winner.
It was the year Burton broke the British record for a 12-hour time trial, beating all the men to ride 277.25 miles, but wasn’t allowed to hold the record because there was no record for women. According to the rules the 12-hour record was specifically a men’s record, which a woman couldn’t hold. They were daft rules that created the ludicrous situation of the man Beryl beat being the British record holder.
It was incredible, and most cyclists accepted she was the best at the distance. One drawback, though, was the incredible feat of endurance blunted her track speed, so Burton lost her world pursuit title to Ludmilla Zadorozhnaya of Russia a few weeks later. She finished 3rd but was unbeatable in the road race.
Beryl had already won the road race world title in 1960, but she was on another level in ’67. She raced like there was nobody else in it, hitting the front after 2 miles and accelerating until only Zadorozhnaya could follow her.
They shared the pace at first, then the Russian couldn’t come through, then she was gone. Burton finished 1 minute and 47 seconds ahead of Zadorozhnaya and nearly 6 minutes clear of the rest. The title race was only 55 kilometres, hardly time for Burton to warm up.
The cycling world was so impressed by Beryl Burton she was invited to take part in the 1968 GP des Nations time trial in France. She raced the same course as the professional men on the same day, clocking an average speed of 41.55 kph for 73 kilometres.
The winner, 1965 Tour de France winner Felice Gimondi, averaged 47.5 kph, but Burton wasn’t far behind the tailenders of the men’s event. Those full-time pros, many of whom had ridden the Tour de France, must have shivered when they realised a Yorkshire farm worker had got so close to them.
