Beryl's 12 hour.

[Brandane]

Off the top of my head, I make that an average speed of 23.104166 mph (approximately) . That's not allowing for breaks of any kind. Could be a while before anyone breaks that record. Frames, gears, kit etc. may well have improved in the intervening years, but road surfaces and traffic conditions haven't.

 

[Sharky]

Are the long distance TTs (12 and 24hr) as keenly contested now as they were then? (Genuine question btw, I'm completely ignorant of this area). The Lizzie Armitsteads or Nicole Cookes of this world go to road racing (where the money is) - and they have the luxury of being pros too.

If BB was young now I wonder what her career path would have been like. (Impossible to say as a lot would depend on whether she would decide to become pro).

BB did do road racing. She won the women's world championship on at least one occasion and I think won the world pursuit title. Quite an all rounder really. In those days there was no woman's events in the Olympics, so this was one avenue that she could not pursue.

 

[Smokin Joe]

12 hour events used to be a regular feature of the cycling season in those days. I'd guess there are only two or three per year now and since the British Best All Rounder competition for time trialists turned from headline news into a non event few people even know exists hardly anyone rides them, and none of the top riders, male or female.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I know the history of BB, an extremely impressive athlete, who beat the might of the East German, and Russian squads
25 Best British All-Rounder titles amongst others


In fact, before he (& wife) emigrated to Aus, we had a chap with the surname of Charnock in my ruining club, who had an Aunty Beryl..........

 

[simongt]

I think the reason is as @Dogtrousers says - the top women cyclists do other things now.

Probably right there. Seems that all the focus is on whatever make the most money for the sponsor, regardless of the actual record. As Burton is quoted as saying...'If anyone suggested mucking around with my blood, the'd get my toe up their arse..' For her, it was all about pure self determination and a lot of selfless support from her husband Charlie, who forwent his own promising career in cycling to help Beryl. And that 12 hour; AVERAGING just over 23 mph on the open road - ! 'Nuff said - !

 

[lozcs]

Saw the play "Beryl" in Birmingham, if it tours again I highly recommend to go and see it... It was one of the best bits f theatre I have seen...

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2...ine-peake-freewheeling-tribute-cycling-legend

 

[GuyBoden]

Yes, one of the greatest, built from Yorkshire stone.............

Look at them cog sizes.............

 

[oldroadman]

Did theyhave 11-15 in those days? I only remember 13-17 five speed blocks?

That would be correct. Sensation when 12 sprockets came in. 13 top was all that was available.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Top time trialists used to sometimes use massive chainrings, up to 60t in a few cases IIRC. I marshalled at an event Beryl rode and couldn't believe how slow her cadence was. Didn't slow her down, though.

 

[T4tomo]

Tony Martin often get out a massive chainring in flattish TTs. As it's a short distance relative to a road stage if you've got the strength to push a big gear it can be more effective than spinning away in a smaller one.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Alf Engers used a dinner plate on the front too -

I wouldn't like to do an emergency stop with the tyre that close to the down tube.

 

[ufkacbln]

A point made by earlier posters, but what would her record have been if she had a modern lightweight bike

 

[Sharky]

If BB was using a 60T chain ring with probably a 13-17 five speed screw-on block, her top gear would have been 122", which is indeed a massive gear, but she was at the top of her game and a world champion.
But if you consider some of the options that are now being used by us MAMIL's and OAP's etc, a common option is now a 52x11 and this equates to a 125" gear - HIGHER than BB may have been using and we have no pretentions of ever going fast.

 

[iggibizzle]

A point made by earlier posters, but what would her record have been if she had a modern lightweight bike

Presuming these were on pretty flat courses , nothing gained by weight really. The bikes they used were pretty light anyway. But... Aero bars and better wheels these days would improve things a bit.

 

[simongt]

But then, first we had Marguerite Wilson, followed by Eileen Sheridan followed by the great Beryl. All three made many time / distance records in their respective eras and each beat their predecessor's records.

So who do we have now - ? As has been suggested, probably too much sponsorship focused in the wrong areas. Such a shame.