In 1974 Maurice Burton won the national 20km title, becoming Britain’s first ever Black cycling champion. Yet, as the 18-year-old stepped onto the podium, the crowd booed – a response that typified the racism he experienced throughout his career. After being overlooked for Olympic selection, despite having beaten those selected, he moved to Belgium to race professionally on the six-day circuit, becoming the first Black six-day rider for over 75 years.
In his recently published biography, co-written with me, Burton set out to assert his place as a change-maker and pioneer in British sporting history. In writing the book together, Burton and I met many times over the course of a year, in pubs, at his bike shop De Ver Cycles, and on bike rides. This feature, drawing on our conversations, lays out Burton’s nine key life lessons from his rich and varied experience as the first Black British cycling champion, six-day star and later as a successful business owner and community leader in South London.
