Beryl Burton: New book tells the story of one of Yorkshire's greatest ever athletes

The sweet has become legend in cycling history, as a symbol of this ferocious Yorkshire woman’s sporting drive and will to win. Now a new book delves into her story, in the most comprehensive chronicle of its kind.

Jeremy Wilson, chief sports reporter at The Telegraph, is author of Beryl: In Search of Britain’s Greatest Athlete, to be published July 7.

It’s taken four years, featuring more than 100 interviews including with her daughter Denise, and Yorkshire cycling legends the Brownlee brothers and Lizzie Deignan.

There’s a good argument, said Mr Wilson, that Beryl Burton may be the best athlete this country has ever produced. But she was a woman, before cycling was a ‘woman’s sport’.

Mr Wilson said: “She became this phenomenal sportswoman, just unbeatable for decades. We can only imagine what she could have done had she had access to the Olympics.

“This is telling her story, from start to finish, in hopefully the most comprehensive account of her life. All the cycling stars still speak of Beryl Burton in an awestruck voice.

“She’s still very much a part of Yorkshire folklore now. If you step beyond Yorkshire and cycling, a lot of people won’t even know her name.”

Beryl Burton dominated women’s cycle racing from the 1950s, winning seven world titles and dozens of domestic championships - setting the women’s record for a 12-hour time-trial as she handed over the liquorice and beating the men’s record for two years.

A rhubarb and raspberry farmer from Morley, whose day job has been credited for her strength, Ms Burton raced primarily for Morley and then Knaresborough Cycling Clubs. It was at Morley that she had found a love of cycling, said Mr Wilson, with its progressive nature towards women members well ahead of its time.

Women weren’t entered into the Olympics until 1984. Many clubs didn’t let women in. The book explores this early club scene, its camaraderie and competitive nature. It delves into Ms Burton’s own trauma as a child, suffering an attack of the nervous system as she prepared to sit her 11+, and the determination she drove from the experience.

Mr Wilson, himself a club cyclist as a child, can recall seeing old handbooks and wondering at who Beryl Burton might have been. Following the Olympics of 2012, a revival in cycling brought him back.

“People don’t really know her story,” he said. “I didn’t, beyond knowing it was exceptional. She was an absolutely ferocious, relentless competitor.

“If you took Beryl Burton from the 1960s and put her on a modern bike now, she would be faster than the best riders today.

"She was a very inspirational person. Blunt, no nonsense, she was who she was. Someone who loved cycling, and never really wavered from that.

"That drive - that complete focus - was what made her so good."

Author Jeremy Wilson is to join Beryl Burton's daughter Denise in conversation at Otley Courthouse on the evening of July 8.

It was from the West Yorkshire market town that Otley Cycle Club staged the now infamous 1967 12-hour time trial where Ms Burton broke the men's record setting 277.25 miles.

Featuring unseen correspondence and photographs, and through extensive interviews, the book also explores how fast Beryl Burton might have been on modern cycling technology.

Beryl: In Search of Britain’s Greatest Athlete, is published by Pursuit Books on July 7 (£20).