Beryl - WINNER OF THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023: In Search of Britain's Greatest Athlete, Beryl Burton

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Shockingly neglected daughter and some bizarrely cruel parenting and sportsmanship, all for the results. There are few athletes, male or female, that had the success and longevity of Beryl Burton - but for too long her name and achievements have remained in the shadows. But without this book - which is niche even by the standards of British sporting books - I doubt I’d ever have heard of her and imagine that’s true for many others. We are grateful to Beryl and the women like her who paved the way for our generation to enjoy the professionalism and recognition that she so richly deserved -- Lizzie Deignan MBE, Professional Cyclist Beryl is a worthy winner of the award, because it charts the most incredible of sporting endeavours and gradually reveals Burton to be both admirable and troubling .

The book doesn’t gloss over (in fact it highlights) just how challenging she inevitably was as a person in doing that - I can’t even imagine what it was like for her daughter competing against her, especially as Burton was totally unable to stop cycling competitively even into her 50s.Both authors have input from family members, friends, and fellow competitors, as you would expect – and the obligatory cycling dignitaries such as Bradley Wiggins and Chris Boardman are referenced.

Absolutely amazing talent who sadly is little known amongst people of a certain age even if they are cyclists. As a cyclist I’d have liked more details of her training and kit but given Beryl Burton’s personality (very Yorkshire! At the very least Beryl Burton should be talked about like pre-TV era male footballers who hold records that will never be broken (Dixie Dean etc).A fan of sleeping wild long before bikepacking made it fashionable, he’s convinced that traffic levels and human happiness are negatively correlated.

This fabulous book brings the person and her phenomenal, groundbreaking achievements to light - I couldn't put it down.

Beryl Potter was a reserved working-class mother of three living a decent life, or so it seemed, when a harmless slip and fall marked the unravelling of everything that she had known about herself and the world around her.

It was not a surprise to discover that Burton would go considerably faster with today's kit, but the real benefit of the test is to predict with considerable confidence that she would still hold the women's record for every standard distance – except for one, the 10-mile time trial. Cyclist Beryl Burton - also known as BB - dominated her sport much as her male contemporary Eddy Merckx, but with a longevity that surpasses even sporting legends like Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams and Sir Steve Redgrave. The later chapters of the book covering the period of Burton’s decline describe a person so consumed by cycling as to neglect every other element of her emotional life. Discover your next non-fiction read and brilliant book gifts in the Profile newsletter, and find books to help you live well with Souvenir Press. Christmas is just around the corner, but DON’T PANIC: we’re here to provide you with the ultimate festive gifting inspiration, and remind you that books are certainly the easiest presents to wrap…!WINNER of the Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year 2023WINNER of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022WINNER OF THE TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022A TIMES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022A WATERSTONES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022A DAILY MAIL SPORTS BOOK OF 2022Cyclist Beryl Burton - also known as BB - dominated her sport much as her male contemporary Eddy Merckx, but with a longevity that surpasses even sporting legends like Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams and Sir Steve Redgrave. However, without this unsung hero, women wouldn’t have half the opportunities they have in sports today. Cyclist Beryl Burton dominated her sport much as her male contemporary Eddy Merckx, but with a longevity that surpasses even sporting legends like Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams and Sir Steve Redgrave. She just couldn’t stop being competitive, to the ruin of her health, and most likely contributing to her relatively early death just before her 59th birthday (she died cycling to deliver invitations to her birthday party). In my previous review I also mentioned that it's always hard to compare performances across different eras; however, in a prime example of what makes this book so different to a more conventional biography, Wilson has actually done exactly that.