Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022
WINNER OF THE TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
A TIMES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022
A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022
A WATERSTONES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022
A DAILY MAIL SPORTS BOOK OF 2022

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.

She was practically invincible in time trials, finishing as Best All-Rounder for 25 consecutive years and setting a world record in 1967 for the distance covered in 12 hours that beat the men. She won multiple world titles, even when the distances didn't play to her strengths. But her achievements were limited by discrimination from the cycling authorities, and by her strictly amateur status against state-sponsored rivals from Eastern Bloc nations.
Yet she carried on winning, beating men and - infamously - competing against her own daughter, while working on a farm and running a household. Her motivation, sparked by appalling childhood illness, is as fascinating as her achievements are stunning.

With access to previously unseen correspondence and photographs, and through extensive interviews with family, friends, rivals and fellow giants from across sport, acclaimed journalist Jeremy Wilson peels back the layers to reveal one of the most complex, enigmatic and compelling characters in cycling history.

For the first time, he also provides the jaw-dropping answer to how fast she would still be on modern cycling technology. Long ignored by sporting history, Burton's life story - recently told by Maxine Peake in a stage and radio play - is finally getting the recognition she deserves.

Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022
WINNER OF THE TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
A TIMES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022
A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022
A WATERSTONES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022
A DAILY MAIL SPORTS BOOK OF 2022

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.

She was practically invincible in time trials, finishing as Best All-Rounder for 25 consecutive years and setting a world record in 1967 for the distance covered in 12 hours that beat the men. She won multiple world titles, even when the distances didn't play to her strengths. But her achievements were limited by discrimination from the cycling authorities, and by her strictly amateur status against state-sponsored rivals from Eastern Bloc nations.
Yet she carried on winning, beating men and - infamously - competing against her own daughter, while working on a farm and running a household. Her motivation, sparked by appalling childhood illness, is as fascinating as her achievements are stunning.

With access to previously unseen correspondence and photographs, and through extensive interviews with family, friends, rivals and fellow giants from across sport, acclaimed journalist Jeremy Wilson peels back the layers to reveal one of the most complex, enigmatic and compelling characters in cycling history.

For the first time, he also provides the jaw-dropping answer to how fast she would still be on modern cycling technology. Long ignored by sporting history, Burton's life story - recently told by Maxine Peake in a stage and radio play - is finally getting the recognition she deserves.

Winner for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022

WINNER OF THE TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022

A WATERSTONES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF 2022

'A marvellous book' Maxine Peake

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.